Uncommon fruit is documentary’s star
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If you are the type of person that goes to Whole Foods and picks out the most obscure-sounding type of apple, “The Fruit Hunters” is definitely for you. If you are not that type of person, maybe this documentary will inspire you to start doing it.
This documentary follows one man’s quest for fruits found outside the supermarket year-round norms like apples, bananas, grapes and oranges. The narrator sprinkles the film with facts about fruit production and agriculture, like how the type of banana you see in grocery stores, the Cavendish banana, was created to replace the previous type, which had gone extinct.
“The Fruit Hunters” is full of beautiful shots of exotic fruits that do not even seem real. The film then contrasts these shots with mass-stocked supermarket fruits, which gives the documentary tension that makes you think about the everyday food choices you make.
Much of the documentary also talks about how year-round produce has had an impact on agriculture and production around the world. The film shows massive banana production and processing plants in South America, but also talks to a middle-aged couple who grafts their own trees to produce their own fruits. You get the best of everything in the film.
If you think this documentary is too serious or preach-y for you, fear not. There are plenty of cheesy flashbacks to historical figures who cultivated different types of fruit, such as the clementine, which was cultivated by Father Clement Rodier in Algeria. These flashbacks come with dramatic lens filters that heighten the cheesy factor.
While the film does run a little long for its given subject, and even though the narrator’s voice is just naturally creepy, it is worth a glance if you are worried about seeing the same fruits at H-E-B year-round, even though you know they might not be in season.