Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/CRxi2qMWs9k
Minimalism is a documentary made by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, a couple of dudes who call themselves The Minimalists. The subtitle for this is A Documentary About the Important Things . It's an interesting look at the minimalism movement mainly through the eyes of Millburn and Nicodemus. Throughout the runtime we also hear from others that have applied the principles of minimalism or simple living to their lives.
It's well put together and makes a good case for taking a step back from the wild rush of life and appreciating the simple things. It promotes decluttering and only living with the things we need as a way to better mental health and wellbeing. Quality over quantity also seems to be an underlying theme too.
There's nothing really new here, the message and movement has been around for quite some time. It serves best as a good reminder to be more conscious about our consumption. The timing of me watching this was quite fitting given that we are in the midst of a global pandemic and locked down in our homes. If there is one thing I have learned from all this its that you realise how little you need to survive. There is a lot to be said for living simple, uncluttered life.
The least favourite parts of this, for me, were the bits with the two Minimalists themselves. By the end of it I kinda felt like I had watched an 80min thinly veiled low key promo for their book. But more to the point, the parts with them on screen, for the most part, added very little to the whole "how to simplify your life" message. Its just following the guys as they go to book promo events talking to a handful of people or appearing on TV. The parts I enjoyed the most were where they were talking with people who had done the deed and cut back on their consumption, who gave advice on how to go about it, and showed them actually living that life, and the benefits from it. I wish this documentary was more about minimalism and less about The Minimalists.
It also seemed to me that a lot of the people talking about becoming minimalists all had stories of coming from six figure incomes. I think the documentary could have benefited a lot by talking to people who don't have a nice fat bank account to back up their life choices, people that don't have friends with spare land where they can put a tiny home, or don't have jobs where everything can be done from a laptop.
Not without its flaws or boring parts, Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things was thought provoking viewing, but probably serves best as a good conversation starter rather than a deeper examination of the subject.
