The Garden

This documentary follows the story of 400+ individuals and families that referred to themselves as the South Central Farmers. In the early 90's, the city of Los Angeles allowed them to divide 14 acres of land that had been acquired by eminent domain into small plots for a community garden. In 2003, the city sold the land back to the original owner, who started an eviction process to get the community garden closed down. The film is a well told story of the struggle between the powerless and the powerful, showing the problems that are faced by each. While I recognize that politicians are working on a quid quo pro basis every day of their lives, it makes me bristle when they just accept that compromise is always natural and unavoidable, that there is no such thing as win-win. The arrogance of individuals and the sense of entitlement of the collective left me with a bad taste, but I suppose that is the point. I can't imagine living in a place where politics and corruption is the norm and relevant on a daily basis. Or perhaps I do live in that place, but my ostrich head doesn't notice.
5-stars