SIFF has a dozen or so movies about food, or farming, or fruit, or wine, etc. this year, and of the ones that we were able to screen by press time, we REALLY liked four (good job, SIFF!).

DON’T MISS!
After Winter, Spring
Is there anything cuter than a farmer rubbing the fuzzy face of an hour-old calf, asking, “Is there anything cuter than this?” Yes: when the farmer and the calf and the question are all French, as is the case in this achingly lovely documentary about family farming in the Périgord. Shot over the course of a year, it’s so pretty, it’s ridiculous, and the people—from the idealistic couple starting a tiny organic operation to the 88-year-old vintner/philosopher—are marvelous. Facing tough times, they love their animals and their land with inspiring hope. Also featured: a famous foie gras farm, cast in a human and arguably humane light. (BETHANY JEAN CLEMENT)
Harvard Exit, Sun, May 19, 4 pm
SIFF Uptown, Mon, May 20, 8:30 pm

STAR!
C.O.G.
Inspired by reading The Grapes of Wrath and wanting to get his hands dirty, an overeducated white East Coast Yale grad heads out to Oregon to work in the apple orchards. Based on a David Sedaris essay from Naked, the story begins on the long-haul bus ride, where “Samuel” (his new identity) is accosted by a parade of weirdos. At the farm, he has trouble connecting with anyone and he is comically unprepared to exist in the real world. Will Samuel find happiness in the simple things instead of overanalyzing and sneering at everything? Or will he run back to his old life? Thanks to the film’s wonderful performances and entertaining dialogue, you’ll have a perfectly good (if not revelatory) time finding out. (GILLIAN ANDERSON)
Egyptian, Fri, May 24, 4 pm
Egyptian, Sun, May 26, 7 pm
Renton, Mon, May 27, 6 pm

DON’T MISS!
More Than Honey
Filmed in Switzerland, the United States, and China, this lively documentary covers the gamut of the bee world: part beekeeping family reminiscence, part incredible close-up of bee culture and physiology, part modern-day beekeeping in all its variety, part scientific bee study, part philosophical musing on industrial culture. The filmmaker muses, “The plants are rooted to the ground, they can’t run across the field and hug each other. They can’t have children on their own. What they need is a messenger of love: a bee.” This film made me want to drop everything and devote my life to beekeeping. (GILLIAN ANDERSON)
SIFF Uptown, Thu, May 23, 8:30 pm
Egyptian, Tue, June 4, 4:30 pm

STAR!
You Will Be My Son
Faced with the unappetizing prospect of bringing his only child into the family business, a stubborn winemaker (Niels Aretrup) begins looking for other candidates. Director Gilles Legrand veers expertly between grand tragedy and poker-faced comedy, including a moment with a car that should have Vin Diesel hustling for the phone. Aretrup, whose expert ambivalence helps power the fellow SIFF entry Our Children, here relishes the chance to go full Snidely Whiplash, spitting out venom with a hilariously jaded air. He’s a sonofabitch of the highest order, and perfectly okay with that. (ANDREW WRIGHT)
SIFF Uptown, Wed, June 5, 7 pm
Kirkland, Fri, June 7, 8:30 pm

I already got my tickets to More Than Honey, which Gillian raves about above, and which Jim Drohman, chef/owner of Le Pichet and Cafe Presse, says farmers in France are ABUZZ about (his terrible pun, not mine). I’d also like to see SOMM, a documentary about four people trying to pass the master sommelier exam. Three more we weren’t able to watch before SIFF-guide press time: Drinking Buddies, a “beer-centric romantic comedy”; Haute Cuisine, based on the story of Danièle Delpeuch, chef to former French president François Mitterrand; and Red Obsession, about the how crazy some people in China are for Bordeaux (red obsession, get it?).

As for the remainder of the 2013 SIFF food movies, Andrew Wright did not enjoy Mussels in Love, I did not enjoy The Fruit Hunters, and Goldy did not enjoy The Last Ocean.

More on all these films may be found in our awesome, as-comprehensive-as-humanly-possible searchable online SIFF guide (or in this week’s paper).

For tickets, go here.

Lunchtime!