Overview

Is it possible to live a life completely independent of social and economic constraints, wholly at one with nature? In the picturesque mountains of Val Lavizzara in Ticino, several individuals have come together to form a cooperative society and live such a life. There is a plethora of chores to be done on the farm: animals to feed, fields to plough and tree trunks to be chopped. As the year progresses, more and more issues surface dividing the younger and older residents: how much technology is acceptable? How much compromise is necessary and reasonable? Is the amount of work done in balance with the results gained? Along with a poetic gaze, director Hans Haldimann also shows the sometimes extraordinarily complicated side to a ‘simple’ self-sufficient life. This may be far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but there are just as many problems to be faced.