Inherit the Earth

“Part documentary, part experimental short, "Inherit the Earth" is a poetic encounter with five young people living in Southwest Baltimore. Conceived as a micro-documentary exploring the experience of food insecurity among children in Baltimore’s inner city, this nine-minute film transcends both its original intent and genre to create a quiet meditation on loss and hope within the struggle of urban poverty.”

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In writing this blog post, I am also trying to figure out how I want to lay out these posts in the future as well. The main reason I pick these films are because they inspire or move me, and it allows me a space to gather my thoughts as to why I am so inspired or moved by these pieces. If I seem that I am rambling, it’s probably because I am.

Anyways.

I came across Christian’s online presence awhile back and have been following his posts. He recently posted about his new documentary “Inherit the Earth”, so I made sure to check it out and I was not disappointed. I have always had a soft spot for projects that have an experimental side to them, and for Christian’s doc, I believe he found the sweet spot.

His interviewees, the young inner city kids of Baltimore, had very interesting voices. That was the first thing I noticed. I wanted to know everything about them, but a veil of mystery sustained throughout the documentary. I think his choice of presenting the subjects in black and white and muted color was a good touch. It provided a sensitivity to the subjects and also that mysterious aspect that gave the story a magnetic effect.

The content wasn’t too heavy either, which I really enjoyed. The “space” he allowed between the interviewees allowed you to reflect on the visuals, and take a breath in their environment. Paired with the music, the pacing felt just right; I really loved the strings in the background as well.

There’s constant kinetic energy throughout the doc too, which I believe helped move us through the stories and imagery of Southwestern Baltimore. I personally had no idea Baltimore had an “inner city”, so the images were fresh and eye-opening for me. The images move from place to place, from person to person, and reflect this melancholic acceptance of what the past and present is, and what the future will hold.

This is a documentary that I will return to many times. I just really appreciate the atmosphere of the film, the subjects, the imagery, the color choice, music, everything. I’m excited to see what else Christian makes in the future.

If you want to watch this short documentary you can watch it here, and if you’d like to keep up with what he is doing, you can follow his Instagram here.