Seeds

Seeds is, at the abundant heart of it all, a work of protest art and political activism through sheer poetry. Attention must be paid.

Seeds may be indebted to the elder subjects that Shyne centralizes, but it’s also a film that dares to look forward, suggesting that — despite everything — these farms will continue.

Though Seeds is a lyrical portrait of a way of life, it also harbors an urgency that’s very much of our moment.

Seeds is a sweet, meditative elegy for a way of life that is fast disappearing.

Seeds is a film that lives and breathes as we absorb the wisdom of these elders.

This quietly moving documentary takes a hands-off approach, which allows audiences to organically meet the film on its level. This method lets the farmers subtly present the central conflict that’s most affecting their lives and livelihoods. The gorgeous black-and-white photography gives the film an appropriate sense of timelessness.

Brittany Shyne’s lens is held rapt by the ramblings and insights of the elderly, but it springs to life when it’s turned toward the next generation, whose future is of utmost concern in light of the socioeconomic tensions documented by the film.