“The Little Things” is almost (almost) a perfect documentary for The Wild & Scenic Film Festival. It features segment after segment of attractive men and women. They talk in easy going style about their rad professional snowboarding and the appreciation and activism that have melded into their so fortunate outdoor lives. With respectful awareness indicated, they never push the environmentalist thing too hard. There’s always another beautiful snowboarding landscape chock full of steepness, obstacles, jumps, and other flights of fancy.
The film covers the extreme sports and adventure tradition of the festival very well. And to feed the festival’s core citizenly values, it also glides through an engaging youth-oriented track without throwing out the substance. Its running theme encourages whatever little things each person can do. Some of the personal examples run a bit thin, although they poke fun at this, too. Mostly, though, they help you appreciate that little things add up to bigger things and contribute to changing hearts and minds.
Some of the personal examples run quite committed, including trips to Washington D.C. so federal government people aren’t just hearing from oil companies and the like. One of the more common inclinations seems to be building one’s own home, even if it takes years. Whether it’s built with one’s own sweat or not, a small home not only feels like enough, it means less pressure on having to make money.
Adroit filmmaking choices include such things as a creative use of the snow globe concept, fun music tracks, and injecting the added meaning that comes when spirited young adults become parents. Neatly, well-chosen quotes punctuate the segments. Here’s one: “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.”