Brendon Jones
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy" is a British/German co-production that was released very recently here in Germany and is mostly in the English language. The man that this is about is already mentioned in the title and seeing his OBE it seems he is far more known in the UK than here and this one runs for 1.5 hours approximately. The director is Thomas Riedelsheimer, a prolific filmmaker that I have not come across so far yet I think, also a prolific cinematographer. His presence explains the German aspect of this documentary. I see this is not the first occasion Goldsworthy and Riedelsheimer worked together, so it is some sort of reunion. Now as for the film itself, I think there are quite a few moments of beauty in here to an extent where I would want to say that this is much better seeing on the big screen, not the small screen. The yellow leaf scenes are a revelation to be honest, but you can give all kinds of approaches to the different scenes. I for example very much liked the several parts where we see him lie on the ground in the rain and then quickly move away and we see how the water pours down there and nature gets it back for itself. Then of course the scenes of alternative movement (lets call it that). When he pushes forward through the hedge for example with the other people just walking on the sidewalk, it more had something funny to me instead of something inspired, even if I can definitely see the alternate and interesting thinking approach behind that idea. I guess it is all up to your very personal self and character which parts you like the most. But there is no denying that this is a really inspiring and inspired film that will certainly go way more under the radar than it should. It profits a lot from its likable protagonist and I also liked the personal note it gets with his daughter assisting him. I must say that in terms of nature I am more on the animal-interested site than about plants, but what he does here with leaves, trees, water etc. felt very impressive. There is also an effortless simplicity to the film. It shows art as something so simple and easy to achieve, even next to your place in the city and without many assets or instruments, but the nature, the streets and so on are already enough to come up with something that oozes depth and meaningfulness. This is a definite contender for best documentary of 2017 for me and I have a feeling I will watch it again at some point in the near future. Somehow this film made quite an impact on me and I certainly recommend checking it out. This is one you don't want to miss out especially if you got the chance to see it on the big screen. A must-see. Beauty and depth galore from start to finish.
