Hybrid (2000) Online

This is a beautiful documentary about corn and a man who devoted his life to developing the perfect hybrid. It is shot by his grandson and paints a lovely portrait of a Midwest US farming family. More of a tone poem than a documentary, the director uses time-lapse photography and animation to enhance the film.

Farmer Milford Beeghly pioneered corn cross-fertilization early in the 20th century, and "Hybrid" is a retrospective on the man's life directed and produced by his grandson Monteith McCollum. The documentary reveals a man bravely obsessed with corn and genetics (pursuing his experiments in the face of a community which considered them botanical "incest"); yet this man never learned to communicate his passion either with his wife or his children. "They just think corn is corn," Beeghly says.

"Hybrid" has been compared to the work of the Brothers Quay and the early films of David Lynch, an observation apt at least for the first half of the film, which begins with a very textured filmic sensibility and with rich collage frames and lively animations. For example, corncobs pursue an amusing mating dance as the audience is treated to a detailed explanation of corn's method of self-fertilization and a survey of the three main concerns of farmers (weather, market, and procreation). We are also introduced to a fairly surreal television commercial Beeghly made for his hybrid corn seed. Later, another high point of weirdness is seeing this hundred year old man sing a song about drowning kittens and then watching him do the same.

The second half of the documentary, however, is of less general interest and feels much more like personal film shot for the family. It records Beeghly's children reflecting on their confused relationship with their father, their mother's death, Beeghly's remarriage, a hospitalization due to phenomena, and his 100th birthday party.

I was attracted to this film after seeing the last five minutes on a friend's television at random (it aired on PBS at one point). The combination of animation and family history seemed somehow personal but dark. At the time, I had been reading about the economic impact of GMO corn and forming a support for organics and non-GMO crops, so the topic seemed relevant in many ways.

However, other than any personal interpretation of the imagery that one may construct in his own mind, this film has very little to do with environmental, health, or political issues. What is great about this film especially is a depiction of a life experience in relation to nature that is almost "Steinbeckian." This is especially seen in the mannerisms of the subjects and their slow, frank way of talking.

I consistently hear people in various religious groups on television and in churches stating that morality in our culture is decaying. I really disagree. I think that the things people see as examples of this are simply out in the open where fifty years ago they were repressed under strict rules of society.

At the same time, perhaps one may find that there is a different sort of moral decay going on in our current society that has nothing to do with supposed sexual or drug related immorality as we contemplate how much the subject of this film struggled for what he believed in; how hard he worked for his entire life. At one point in the film, the man, nearly 100, and still working the land cites a saying stating that if you move to the city, you die within two years.

Despite communication problems illustrated by family members, one cannot help but have admiration for this man that lived a life with so much durability and drive. Perhaps it is a lack of this earnestness, self sacrifice, and independent responsibility we can see in our politicians and large corporations that is the true moral decay of our time.

Despite my feelings on GMO seed, after seeing this film, I do not believe that the subject's desire to push his hybrid corn was fueled by a desire for money. This is illustrated in his statement that he used to drive all over Nebraska and Iowa, giving people his seeds for free, begging them to try them. He really believed that he was helping people by producing a superior crop.

As the film moves on, we learn that Beeghly also possesses a very whimsical, witty, and musical side. Perhaps this talent moved to his grandson, the maker of the film, who wrote and performed the music for the soundtrack. As an aspiring classical musician, I believe that this music is on par with much of the current scene in art music and added to the overall texture of the film.

On a farm in the middle of Iowa, away from large cities, we still see the same amount of alienation and nervousness that many in urban areas possess, but there is also a certain amount of independence and vitality. One of the lessons of the film is its reminder of man's often tortured but also beautiful connection to nature.

I have to say that this movie really was well done. The director's use of different sound qualities for voice-over and the stop motion animation of corn copulation was really great. Both aesthetically pleasing, informative and moving this movie was really one of the most unique and moving documentaries I've seen in a while.

I was lucky enough to see this film about a man's life-long obsession with corn last November at the International Documentary Film Festival. What I found was a beautifully shot film that was slow but never boring. I don't really know how to review documentaries, let it suffice I was very impressed.