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Parents' Guide to

Gather

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Docu on food sovereignty has positive messages, role models.

Movie NR 2020 74 minutes
Gather Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Evelara1991
Evelara1991 Adult
November 21, 2021
age 15+

LEAVE THE BUFFALO ALONE

I think this film is ok..but just one disappointing part is from the teenager name Elsie Debray and her scientific study on Buffalo MEAT. Buffalo had suffered a genocide and they were almost extinct here in the America's. Why in the world would you put them back in the slaughter house? Promoting to kill Buffalo again is the type of colonialism b.s. this film is promoting .
PacificCoastMama
PacificCoastMama Adult
May 6, 2021
age 8+

Do yourself a favor and watch this film

This uplifting and powerful film explores the healing power of food sovereignty. It offers insightful historical context about the extremely high cases of issues such as obesity, substance, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide on today’s Native American reservations and focuses on individuals who have healed from these traumas through the power of connecting with indigenous foods. One of the film’s threads follows a high school aged native woman’s science fair project that compares the molecules in fat from typical grain fed cattle and the grass fed bison on her family’s land. While the results are not surprising - yes the bison fat is much healthier, for all involved - the thread is one of many beautifully woven stories told throughout this uplifting film. This film educates without being overly graphic or explicit - my six year old was intrigued and watched the first half with me. There were a few times, when they alluded to alcohol abuse, child abuse, and other forms of inter-generational trauma, I was very worried it would be too much for my sensitive child, but it was all stated in such a way that it was neither graphic nor explicit, and the overall message was one of healing and transformation. The director took a graceful and light touch, and the music is beautiful as well! There is a very strong underlying anti-drug and anti-alcohol message as well. For more information on the movement for Indigenous Food Sovereignty, visit: www.nativefoodsystems.org “The industrial revolution is over, and we need to be part of the restorative revolution.”

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

GATHER is a documentary on Native Americans who are bringing back food sovereignty on their lands. It shows how this "restorative revolution" has the potential to transform reservations from "food deserts," where the only food available is the junk food in gas stations and mini marts, to communities that draw on traditional methods of farming, foraging, fishing, and hunting to provide sustainability for the land and nature, as well as the improved health of those who return to their ancestral customs. A teen girl uses her aptitude for scientific research to show how buffalo meat is much healthier than livestock. A chef teaches how locally sourced food can restore health to a struggling community and connect Native Americans to their history and traditions as a way to combat the continued oppressions of colonialism. A group of young Native American activists work to save the Klamath River and fight for indigenous people around the world. The documentary shows how food sovereignty continues to grow in popularity, and how it can help to save a world lurching toward environmental catastrophe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is a thought-provoking documentary that offers a glimmer of hope for positive change, not only for indigenous people, but also for a world seemingly on the brink of environmental catastrophe. Through interviews with Native Americans of all ages and different tribes, Gather takes a look at the potential for food sovereignty to transform communities, provide locally sourced food for regions that have become "food deserts" of gas station mini-mart junk food and little else, and restore hope and dignity to places where despair and substance abuse have been disproportionately prevalent. One of the interviewees calls this a "restorative revolution," and to see how this idea has rescued and transformed those profiled in this documentary reveals its enormous potential.

A real strength to Gather is that it digs deeper than these present-day stories. It places the struggle for food sovereignty squarely in the context of the genocidal war waged by European colonists on the continent in the centuries since first arriving in North America, as well as more recent struggles of Native Americans facing off against the U.S. government over their right to fish in waters they've used for sustenance for thousands of years. This context is particularly relevant for White Americans confronting how the country's original sins have led to their own privilege, to systemic racism, and to stark economic disparities. Ultimately, Gather shows what can be possible when Native American communities reconnect and pass on their beliefs in the restorative (in many ways) powers of food and nature.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about documentaries. How does Gather compare to other movies that convey the true stories of real people?

  • How does the lack of grocery stores selling healthier food in Native American communities lead to health issues such as diabetes and obesity? How can "food sovereignty" help to fix this problem?

  • Did you find any assumptions you had about the movie's topics challenged? What were they? Did the documentary change your mind? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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