Nourish: Food + Community

Recognizing that food has sociological, political, biological, and ethical components, Nourish: Food + Community explores these connections on a worldwide stage, contrasting, for example, the sale of rare and endangered bluefin tuna in Tokyo with a vast seed bank tunneled into a Norwegian mountain. As host and narrator Cameron Diaz says, “It's all connected.” Featuring commentary by food writer/journalist Michael Pollan and sustainability expert Anna Lappé, among others, the program also contrasts the production of monocultured corn (America's biggest crop) with heirloom tomatoes grown on a modest farm. If the documentary is short on discussions of the feasibility of small-scale agricultural solutions, it's earnest in suggesting ways to further a “food revolution”: question where your food comes from, insist on healthy alternatives, grow your own, create community, shop wisely, and “nourish yourself, nourish the world.” A slick production that invites viewers to think about what they consume in new and important ways, Nourish also includes 11 short films that examine related topics with commentators including Pollan on “Twinkie vs. Carrot,” chef Jamie Oliver discussing “Herbs,” and Alice Waters of Berkeley's Chez Panisse restaurant talking about a garden she helped develop at a local school. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)