Worth: $17.00
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Cast:
Charles Carson, Derrick Beckles, Lehr Beidelschies
Intro:
… a must-see documentary that is at times disturbing, but ultimately heart-warming.
When filmmaker Oscar Harding was growing up, he recalls sitting down with his family to watch a home movie given to them by Charles Carson, local farmer, and budding director. The film caused such a reaction in the living room, that Harding’s dad leapt up and switched it off almost immediately. It wouldn’t be until Harding’s grandfather (Carson’s neighbour and how they got the tape in the first place) passed away that he would have a chance to revisit and finally finish watching Carson’s VHS.
A Life on the Farm explores not only the bewildering contents of the tape, but also the history of the man who made it. In doing so, Harding has created a must-see documentary that is at times disturbing, but ultimately heart-warming.
Described as feature length, the titular home movie sees farmer Carson introduce the viewer to his world, including his wife, his elderly parents and dead cat. Yes, that’s the first hint that things are not usual down at the farm. Sat next to his deceased pet, now stuffed, Carson gives a brief eulogy before filming himself burying the animal in the presence of his other two cats. If this has put you on the backfoot, then understand this is predicative of Carson’s relationship with life and death. As he reminds the viewer, this is life on the farm. Sun rise, sun set and all that.
Harding interviews family members, friends and fellow lovers of Carson’s work to share their experience of watching A Life on the Farm. While it would be easy for Harding to make the documentary solely about sniggering at Carson’s film – and look, there is a lot to enjoy here – there is a shared respect for what he achieved by himself with little to no training in camcorders.
Carson uses edits and voice overs to create humour. He even elicits emotion through background music. Sure, at one point, said music is ‘There’s No-One Quite Like Grandma’ by St. Winifred’s School Choir. And yes, the song plays while Carson shows us photos of him pushing his mother’s recently dead body around a field so his cows can ‘pay their respects.’ However, the fact remains, Carson was pretty skilful.
The key to the documentary’s success is how Harding cuts through the absurdity of Carson’s film to reveal a man who was more than just filming calf births in explicit detail. He was a son, father and husband. He clearly loved his family; giving up a decent job in teaching to care for his parents’ farm when they and his brother could no longer do so. When Carson tells you about how his wife died, it’s done with a stoicism that suggests Carson has a relationship with death that most of us don’t. Interviews with Carson’s neighbours and even a psychologist suggest the same.
In the end, these films that he made were a way to reach out to his fellow villagers, and neighbours recount him editing them specifically to appeal to different people. It’s a heartbreaking moment then when it’s revealed that for a man who wanted to share his love of life, many didn’t even realise when the increasingly ill Carson was moved out of his farm.
A Life on the Farm is a lovingly crafted film that shows Harding’s compassion for his subject, while also highlighting the surrealism of his work. It’s a cinematic universe of prop skeletons, playing farm tools like instruments and taking pictures of cows making babies. On paper, it sounds absolutely insane, but just five minutes in Carson’s world is enough to make you want to keep going back for more.