Those with even some interest in gardening — the passion it inspires in people of all kinds, the dignity of its required labor, the camaraderie these passions and labors may build between members, and its aesthetic properties (plant and plant home alike), to name a handful of components — will be very keen to see Rosie Stapel‘s Portrait of a Garden, a documentary that highlights every one of these aspects through a delicately composed cinematic framework.
And we’re pleased to premiere, courtesy of Grasshopper Film, its poster designed by Martin Jarrie. It’s not enough that Portrait is a fine film marked by the tender friendship between two elder masters of their craft (Daan van der Have and Jan Freriks); more critical here and now is that this one-sheet is a lovely work of art unto itself — transportive in its resemblance to many a childhood picture book and continually revealing in its bevy of details.
One can see it below:
In a picturesque garden on a grand country estate, two long-time friends, an 85 year-old pruning master and the gardener, tend to the espaliers. Surrounded by vegetable patches, citrus trees, the orchard and lush grapevines, they talk about food, the weather, their craft (which is quickly disappearing) and the changing world around them. For fifteen years, they’ve been working on the pear arbor. But will it finally come together this year? And what about the harvest, will it be ready for the end-of-season banquet? Capturing one year in the life of this historic garden, the magnificent documentary Portrait of a Garden is a beautiful, transcendent viewing experience.
Portrait of a Garden will begin its U.S. run at Film Forum on October 25.