Can You Dig This

Can planting a seed save someone’s life? When neighborhoods in South Los Angeles began dying, Ron Finley, the “Guerilla Gardener,” began planting seeds in his yard. And thus began one of the most important movements to hit the inner city. Finley’s neighborhood has only four grocery stores within two miles, which are far far far outnumbered by liquor stores and fast food restaurants. With so few options for healthy food, it takes revolutionaries to bring change. In CAN YOU DIG THIS, we meet some of the brave and intrepid people who can do just that: Mychael and Kenya who are looking for ways to leave the gang scene; Hosea who, after three decades in prison, is finding a new life with his garden; and eight-year-old Quimonie, the self-proclaimed Sheriff of the Garden, whose new-found dedication to the garden is making life-saving changes in her own home. Finley’s TEDTalk already has millions of viewers, and the personalities of the other gardeners is infectious. But what is truly engrossing about this doc is its ability to make perfect, mind-numbing, hand-wringing sense. These ideas are game changers in communities that need changing, and CAN YOU DIG THIS is an important testament to the power of community and growth. –T.W.