Customer Reviews

Ingredients

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There is no denying that there is a good message and a big heart behind the documentary "Ingredients." At a mere 67 minutes, the film raises a lot of points about sustainable food and the surrounding issues which have caused the local food movement to grow in importance. However, there is also an element of "preaching to the choir" as well. I don't think many people will view this food revolution as particularly revolutionary. People know that what they put into their bodies in not optimum nutrition. All things being equal, who wouldn't want to eat fresher product with better flavor and quality control? Not everyone has the opportunity to jump on this bandwagon wholeheartedly though. "Ingredients," at a minimum, does allow you to think about and explore the local possibilities available to you--so in its own way, it can make a difference by raising awareness about searching out local options.

The documentary introduces several farms invested in the movement as well as restaurants who embrace the seasonal provisions of these farms. The farming aspect (whether crops or animals) was, for me, the most interesting aspect within the film. On the outskirts of major cities, these areas are often compromised by expanding residential zoning. They provide educational opportunities to local school children as well as oftentimes getting involved in social agendas for those that might not have access to fresh produce. Seeing deliveries to inner-city New York, for example, was surprising and rewarding. The film also provides information from nutritionists who deliver health assessments on eating fresh fare. Nothing surprising here. And chefs tell us we should be buying and cooking the seasonal products--easy to say, I suppose, if you're a professional chef.

If you already support the local food movement, nothing in "Ingredients" will be particularly revelatory. And if you've never heard of this movement, I don't suppose you'll seek out this DVD. So, I'm not sure where the true market for the film lies. A good introductory primer, this well meaning documentary makes the case that even individuals can make a difference in this mechanized world--and that's a valuable eye opener. Interesting, but somewhat superficial, this is a nice peak at an important topic for the uninitiated. The DVD provides some brief vignettes within the special features that simply reinforce much of what has already been presented within the film. I liked "Ingredients" over all, I'm just not sure it had as much impact as it might have. About 3 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 3/11.

I love documentaries on the food movement. I always find them interesting and while there is a lot of hype about it being propaganda at times, I find it all informative. This particular food documentary was in regards to the local food movement.

In search of great ingredients, this documentary gets up close and personal with farmers, chefs, and other movers and shakers in the local food movement. It explores getting people interested in sourcing their food locally. The relationships between the chefs and farmers that coexist to provide seasonal food on a rotating menu and everything sounded fantastic. It also explored introducing school age children to where their food comes from. Several of the people interviewed talked about concerns with the seed industry and the high volume farming that isn't very sustainable and while small local sustainable farm methods are taking hold in the United States. Overall the film was broken up into four parts titled by the seasons and revolving around the different aspects of farming in those seasons.

All the speakers were very informative. They shared information clearly, listed out their beliefs on why they thought the way they did, and gave advice for those looking to join the movement. There were a couple that made things sound like doomsday, which could be alarming, but as with all information, you have to be the final judge and look at the world around you before buying in to anything. The information was good, the method of delivery was all that needed worked on. Don't let that scare you away from this film though, it was overwhelmingly in the positive for most things.

Most people who aren't interested in this type of information or who don't believe the ideas shared by this film probably shouldn't bother watching it. But for those who are interested in learning more or already know a bit about finding local food sources, this is a great documentary. Experts in the field probably won't learn anything new, but it was interesting to listen to the different people talk about their experiences with local farming. I know a little big about local sustainable farming and have recently started a large garden on my property myself so I found everything fascinating and want to look into more documentaries like this one to get an even bigger picture of what's happening with today's food resources.

Great informative documentary that should be enjoyed by any who like to have the best freshest possible ingredients that are farmed without hurting the land or destroying the eco-system.

Review by M. Reynard 2011