Yes, We Can Dig This, and You Should, Too (‘Can You Dig This’ Film Review)
If you’re looking for a film about urban gardening that shows just how important green spaces are, add “Can You Dig This” to your “to watch” list.
When I first read the description of the film, I wasn’t sure if I’d connect to it. There are plenty of urban gardening documentaries and short films that are well and good, but they don’t really pack an emotional punch. “Can You Dig This,” however, does.
Every gardener in this film is unique but they all have one thing in common – they love their gardens, and none of them are afraid to voice that adoration. While you may think, “of course gardeners love the land,” that’s true – most gardeners by trade, do. But what makes the gardeners in this documentary different is that before “getting in the dirt,” none of these people had ever really got their hands dirty.
The film’s subjects are a pleasure to watch and listen to. And while three of the four people are virtual unknowns (albeit important figureheads in their gardens), one of the gardeners is a well-known member of the urban gardening movement.
Ron Finley, who is better known as the “Gangster Gardener,” has quite a bit of screen time throughout “Can You Dig This,” and that’s a great thing because he is an absolute joy to watch. Finley, who is quite familiar with South Los Angeles’ landscape, is well aware that most people think his neighborhood is filled with gangs, drugs, liquor stores, abandoned buildings, and vacant lots. But Finley, along with his fellow gardeners, wants to inspire their neighbors to “put down their guns and pick up their shovels” and become “gangster gardeners.”
The film also features some amazing music. David Andrew Sitek of TV On the Radio wrote the film’s original score and John Legand wrote the song “Skyway” from the film.
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Image from the film via Facebook
