Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYWlAiFypwo

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Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry

2016 ‧ Documentary ‧ 1h 22min

A portrait of the world as lensed through the works of farmer, writer and activist Wendell Berry.

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ABOUT

LOOK & SEE is a cinematic portrait of Wendell Berry, exploring the changing landscapes and shifting values of rural America. The film centers on several residents of Henry County, Kentucky, as they navigate the challenges of industrial agriculture, which has frayed the fabric of their communities.

Returning to Henry County in 1965, Berry began a life of farming, writing, and teaching. His relationship with the land and community became the core of his prolific writings. Now, a half-century later, LOOK & SEE captures the ideological struggle between agrarian virtues and the industrial farming model through intimate interviews, observational scenes, and evocative shots of the surrounding landscape.

A vivid portrait of rural America, LOOK & SEE presents a poignant defense of agrarian life and the interconnectedness of people and place.

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CREDITS

Director

Laura Dunn, Jef Sewell

Writer

Not Available

Stars

John Berry Jr., Mary Berry, Tanya Berry

Companies

Two Birds Film

DETAILS

Released

2016-03-11

Runtime

1h 22min

MPA

Not Available

Genres

Documentary

CONTEXT

Countries

USA

Languages

English

Awards

Awards, 3 wins & 3 nominations

Keywords

writer,world

CAST & CREW

PHOTO GALLERY

RATINGS

7.1/10

58%

6.7/10

54%

CRITICS REVIEWS

“
The New York TimesBen Kenigsberg
“It’s a pleasure to spend 80 minutes in Mr. Berry’s company.”

“
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore
“Sticking mostly to one corner of the turf Berry has staked out, this unusual and quite beautiful documentary seeks to connect with him by getting to know the land and those who work it near the author's Kentucky home.”

“
Los Angeles TimesRobert Abele
“In lieu of a literal fulfillment of the title’s promise, Dunn gives us a spiritual one, an aggressively poetic elegy to the pre-industrialized agrarian work/life ethic Berry made his most deeply felt cause.”

“
VarietyJoe Leydon
“The documentary is too tepid to generate anything like excitement or outrage, and elicits admiration more for its intentions than for its execution.”

“
Village VoiceAlan Scherstuhl
“Here, as Berry warns, the imagination is limited by the camera. In a world in which I couldn’t buy Berry’s New Collected Poems, I might make an effort to see this again someday, with my eyes shut.”

“
Unknown SourceRogerEbert.com
“In its brief, 80-minute running time, Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry encompasses two different films, and neither one of them is, in fact, a portrait of the poet/novelist/farmer/activist Wendell Berry. Neither one of them, despite sincere intentions, is very good.”

“
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
“Ultimately, Look & See seems to have many objectives, yet accomplishes none of them satisfactorily.”

AWARDS

“
Nashville Film Festival2016
“2016 Winner Grand Jury Prize, Laura Dunn”

“
SXSW Film Festival2016
“2016 Nominee SXSW Grand Jury Award, Laura Dunn
2016 Winner Special Jury Award, Lee Daniel (For cinematography.)
2016 Nominee SXSW Gamechanger Award, Laura Dunn”