Seed Review – A stunning film that traces the plight of black farmers in the American South | film

forDirector Ritany Shine’s stunning documentary follows black farmers in the American South over the course of seven years, capturing the beauty and hardships of working the land. Black-and-white cinematography adds visual grandeur to the harvest ritual: we see giant machines extracting cotton buds from open bolls, leaving behind a swirl of white fluff fluttering in the air. The country’s painful legacy of slavery means that the design of agricultural labor is rich with poetic and political meaning. Owning land is more than just an economic issue; It also allows independence of action and preservation of heritage, to be passed on to future generations.

However, for hardworking farmers, systemic discrimination continues to hamper their financial security. While their white neighbors have easy access to federal support, Black farmers face almost insurmountable red tape, resulting in much longer wait times for financing. With the crushing impact of operational costs and taxes, many have had their lands taken away from them. One particularly poignant scene follows 89-year-old Carly Williams, who has been farming since his teens, as he struggles to negotiate the price of eyeglasses. Most of the subjects in the documentary also hail from older generations. The result is that this type of work, although precarious, is no longer viable for young people.

However, this documentary is far from an elegy. The resilient community is fighting back, as they march to Washington to protest the shortcomings of the Biden administration. Mimicking the cropping cycle, Shine’s film inhabits the chapters of life, preserved by images of funerals and open skies. This vanishing way of life is imbued with a dose of gloom, yet there is still hope for a better harvest to come.