Peter and the Farm / documentary

Peter and the Farm // Directed by Tony Stone

With a title that seems to be taken from a children’s book, Peter and the Farm, is far from depicting a bucolic countryside experience. After spending most of his life building his farm, Peter Dunning becomes now a castaway in his own territory. Rejected by three wives and all his children he is lonely and haunted by alcoholism.

One of the most interesting facts of this documentary is the active role of the film crew that confronts Peter with the daemons of his past and his tragic expectations for the future. They were faced with the many aspects of the farmers’ personality throughout the one year period in which the crew regularly visited him, themselves often getting involved in the conversation. The documentary therefore feels very real, also supported by explicit images of Peter’s daily routines with the animals.

I recommend this film to everyone attracted to the rotten inside of a beautiful image and the inevitable wisdom gained by the numerous changes of season experienced in a lifetime.

Daniela del Pomar, Production and documentary department, for FilmArche