The Minimalists: Less is Now is a documentary movie directed by Matt D’Avella. The film stars Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who are authors, podcasters and speakers who promote a minimalist lifestyle.
The Minimalists: Less is Now is not just a story about practising minimalism. It’s also a story about poverty, greed and capitalism. It’s about how ads are targeted and how we, the consumers, are just being used by companies to push their interests forward.
In a world where every one of us is under immense stress and there are so many ads that bombard us to buy that new shiny thing that will magically make life better, stuff is something that fills all of our homes. Stuff – things that we compulsively buy and fill our homes with, but eventually things that don’t really make any sense in our lives.
The Minimalists: Less is Now shows a different perspective from the hundreds of home makeover shows that we see every day. The show promotes the importance of being happy with what we have and to use resources as less as possible. At the end of the day, the things that we buy every day don’t really matter to us. Most of the time we don’t even look back at the hundreds of things that come through our doorsteps into our homes.
Buying things nowadays is easy. The documentary focuses on the various ways corporations are getting into our heads and making it easier to buy that one more thing to make our lives easier. It reflects on how we have fallen into this cycle of buying and spending and why that is toxic. It tells us that there are more things in life other than these things that can bring fulfilment and enrich our lives.
Successful podcasters, public speakers and authors Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus reflect on their lives growing up and paint a beautiful picture highlighting the problems and small feelings of happiness of growing up poor and in broken homes. There’s a lot of truth and genuineness here that will touch your heart.
Summing up: The Minimalists: Less is Now
The Minimalists: Less is Now is informative and emotional. While it highlights how the consumers have very little say in their lives infront of capitalism, it also highlights the perils of poverty and how we are not forming bonds like we used to. It tells us that fulfilment is something that that next Amazon order won’t provide. Rather, that can only be found with people and cherishing what we already own.
At 53 minutes, The Minimalists: Less is Now is a good and calming watch. It might just add value to your life and help you see things from a different perspective. Although not without fault, The Minimalists: Less is Now is a nice little addition in the midst of shows that only tell you to buy more stuff.
The Minimalists: Less is Now is streaming on Netflix.
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