Film ReviewsThe Starfish Throwers: the power of one
May 15, 2015 Anchorage Press
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Jesse Roesler's The Starfish Throwers was inspired by The Star Thrower, a collection of essays and poems by Loren C. Eiseley written in 1978. The book contains a parable, often adopted by motivational speakers, that goes something like this:
Once there was a boy walking along a beach. There had just been a storm, and many starfish had been stranded along the beach. The boy knew the starfish would die, so he began to fling them back into the sea. An old man happened along and asked what the boy was doing. The boy responded that he was saving the starfish. The man told the boy his attempts were useless because there were too many to save so what would it matter. The boy thought about it, flung another starfish back into the water and said, "Well, it matters to this one."
The Starfish Throwers interweaves the stories of three people-Narayanan Krishnan, Allan Law and Katie Stagliano-who couldn't be more different from one another. Krishnan is a five-star chef in India, Law is a retired school teacher in Minneapolis, and Stagliano is a 12-year-old in Summerville, South Carolina. What they have in common is their commitment to fight hunger one person at a time. Each of the stories is compelling in its own way, and while their circumstances are unique to their social environments, their assumptions about human dignity and a basic right to food are the same. Each story is a testament to just how much one individual can do to change the world around them. The documentary also provides viewers with accounts of their resilience and struggles against skepticism and misanthropic nay-sayers. The editing is very strong, creating harmonious transitions between the stories and allowing for elements of the story to come forth at just the right moments.
Chef Krishnan's direction in life changed when he saw a man on the street eating his own feces because he was starving. Krishnan personally cooks and drives around feeding people on the littered streets of Madurai, India. He has worked for decades to care for the people he calls "the forgotten." Krishnan has received enough financial support from around the world to take his compassion to the next level.
In the last several decades Law has slept little and paid soaring electric bills because of the multiple freezers containing thousands of sandwiches he delivers every night around Minneapolis. Over the last 40 years, in addition to tens of thousands of sandwiches he's handed out gloves, socks and bus tokens, only missing a few days as a result of surgery to remove his cancer.
Stagliano is the epitome of hope. The 12-year old had an epiphany when, at the age of nine, she grew a giant cabbage that fed a surprising 275 people. If one cabbage could help feed so many people, then what would a whole garden do? Stagliano is the founder and leader of Katie's Krops, a project that allows kids like her to learn about gardening and use the produce to feed homeless and other people in need. Katie's Krops supports 75 youth-run gardens in 27 states and has raised over $200,000. However, viewers may be surprised at some of the negative and judgmental emails Stagliano has received about her endeavor.
The award-winning The Starfish Throwers was a multi-year project and extends beyond the film. Roesler used a Kickstarter campaign to partly fund the film and has set in motion a network of opportunities for individuals to throw starfish of their own by connecting with partners and foundations that help feed the hungry. One of the great attributes of The Starfish Throwers is that the fly-on-the-wall style of filmmaking allows for Krishnan and the rest to tell their own stories with all the passion, hurt, and hope that lives deep inside them.
The Starfish Throwers shows Monday, May 18 at
Once there was a boy walking along a beach. There had just been a storm, and many starfish had been stranded along the beach. The boy knew the starfish would die, so he began to fling them back into the sea. An old man happened along and asked what the boy was doing. The boy responded that he was saving the starfish. The man told the boy his attempts were useless because there were too many to save so what would it matter. The boy thought about it, flung another starfish back into the water and said, "Well, it matters to this one."
The Starfish Throwers interweaves the stories of three people-Narayanan Krishnan, Allan Law and Katie Stagliano-who couldn't be more different from one another. Krishnan is a five-star chef in India, Law is a retired school teacher in Minneapolis, and Stagliano is a 12-year-old in Summerville, South Carolina. What they have in common is their commitment to fight hunger one person at a time. Each of the stories is compelling in its own way, and while their circumstances are unique to their social environments, their assumptions about human dignity and a basic right to food are the same. Each story is a testament to just how much one individual can do to change the world around them. The documentary also provides viewers with accounts of their resilience and struggles against skepticism and misanthropic nay-sayers. The editing is very strong, creating harmonious transitions between the stories and allowing for elements of the story to come forth at just the right moments.
Chef Krishnan's direction in life changed when he saw a man on the street eating his own feces because he was starving. Krishnan personally cooks and drives around feeding people on the littered streets of Madurai, India. He has worked for decades to care for the people he calls "the forgotten." Krishnan has received enough financial support from around the world to take his compassion to the next level.
In the last several decades Law has slept little and paid soaring electric bills because of the multiple freezers containing thousands of sandwiches he delivers every night around Minneapolis. Over the last 40 years, in addition to tens of thousands of sandwiches he's handed out gloves, socks and bus tokens, only missing a few days as a result of surgery to remove his cancer.
Stagliano is the epitome of hope. The 12-year old had an epiphany when, at the age of nine, she grew a giant cabbage that fed a surprising 275 people. If one cabbage could help feed so many people, then what would a whole garden do? Stagliano is the founder and leader of Katie's Krops, a project that allows kids like her to learn about gardening and use the produce to feed homeless and other people in need. Katie's Krops supports 75 youth-run gardens in 27 states and has raised over $200,000. However, viewers may be surprised at some of the negative and judgmental emails Stagliano has received about her endeavor.
The award-winning The Starfish Throwers was a multi-year project and extends beyond the film. Roesler used a Kickstarter campaign to partly fund the film and has set in motion a network of opportunities for individuals to throw starfish of their own by connecting with partners and foundations that help feed the hungry. One of the great attributes of The Starfish Throwers is that the fly-on-the-wall style of filmmaking allows for Krishnan and the rest to tell their own stories with all the passion, hurt, and hope that lives deep inside them.
The Starfish Throwers shows Monday, May 18 at