The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2006)

Disapointment

Brilliant and touching

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

A few days after the New Year I caught this film on TV while I was lying on the couch lazily. What kept my attention was how Farmer John ate the soil at the beginning. This I thought was weird, and Farmer John is a very unconventional character. His story, which spans his whole life from childhood to today, is incredible. It was interesting to watch how paranoid some of John's neighbor and the community became because John is very unconventional. The disappointing behavior of these people contrasts to the CSA shareholders from Chicago who are willing to take time off from their presumably urban lives and get dirty in a farm. John believes there is a character or a soul to his farm, that it is more than just dirt, plants, and buildings. Although I don't find this idea particularly sensible, I appreciated his enthusiasm and optimism, and it's good to see the city folks giving him a hand.What I would like to know about this film is why many farms in America were closing. I'm guessing it was because of tariff reductions.

I saw this film at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and was blown away. The Real Dirt on Farmer John excels on both a technical and an emotional level. So many films, particularly documentaries, struggle to achieve three clearly defined acts that maintain a narrative arch, but this film succeeds... and then some. While 'Real Dirt' was one of the highlights at Hot Springs, what really provoked me into writing this brief review was an idiotic post at this same site that claimed the 'Real Dirt' was fake and manufactured by the director and his subject. Yes, they've had a long standing relationship, but I think the film makes that clear. And the many articles I've since read about Farmer John and the film backs up the documentaries validity. This same review claims Farmer John is 'acting'. Well, anyone who sees the film will instantly realize that John is at the very least a theatrical person in his everyday life - but I'd hardly call what he does at any point in the film acting (except for the segments that depict him acting in his own play as captured in a CNN clip from the 80's). The events of Farmer John's life are laid bare on the screen for all to see. That he wrote and reads the films narration is a bit unconventional, but in the end only adds to the unique experience of the exceptional film.

I watched this entire "documentary" at the Nashville Film Festival. First, I think the film is staged and I felt dirty after leaving the screening. Certain scenes in the film are obviously orchestrated between filmmaker and filmmee/subject. Second, farmer John acted during the entire film! How can this film be classified as a documentary for this simple reason? There was too much collaboration between farmer John and the director, and these conspirators' agreements magnified through the entire film. The film presents everything on the farm through rose colored glasses, and presents Mexico as the "exotic other" where farmer John travels to find "relief" in a "mysterious" world filled with superstition. What a load of dirt! One sentence summary: bring soap with you to watch this film; through careful observation, you'll feel soiled after you leave the theater due to deception, trickery, and artificial "documentary" film-making!

saw this at a film festival. real fascinating subject matter. the director really got lucky that Farmer John shot so much film of himself as he was growing up, because that footage is excellent. overall, it's hard not to like Farmer John and the film. both are non-offensive and entertaining.i have to say, though, i'm not a big fan of the style in this movie. too many talking heads. i liked the more observational stuff, and as i said the stock footage. but that's just me. others will probably have no problem with this. but for me, it's what separated this from being great, instead of what it is: just very enjoyable.