When I watch Naturali Tea—one of the final nominees in the 2016 Real Food Films competition—its lush greenery and charming pastoral vistas give rise to a desire in me to run out and start a tea farm somewhere. For a film to inspire such a reaction in a mere three minutes is testament to its worthiness on a list of beautiful food-centered shorts. In some ways, Naturali Tea can come off as a tea commercial. But, looking deeper into the cinematography and listening to Toshiaki Kinezuka (the snaggle-toothed farmer himself) talk of organic farming and the health of the soil, we can see a narrative emerge in typical Japanese style: that of less is more. Even writing that, I realize that even if the film had no words at all, it would still be worthwhile simply in its beauty.
Less is more
