Small is Beautiful
It feels like we’re experiencing a golden age of indie documentary filmmaking. Thanks to crowdfunding and streaming services, we’re spoilt for choice as viewers, yet while this staggering array of voices might leave you feeling overwhelmed, the range of quality material out there makes stumbling across a truly special film that much more exciting.
Small is Beautiful is one of those extra special films. Filmed in Portland, Oregon, Australian filmmaker Jeremy Beasley documents the tiny house movement, a grassroots response to the housing affordability crisis that traps people from across the developed world. While researching what it would take to design and build his own tiny house, Jeremy was struck by the empowered community he encountered. The film follows four people, each at various stages of building and living in their homes (all with little or no building experience), and works to de-romanticise a trend all too easily dismissed as a whimsical Portlandia plot.
The film is shot beautifully, with a hell of a lot of heart, and offers a unique, affecting answer to the question – is living tiny a serious solution to today’s pressing issues of housing affordability and sustainability?