"Whitman Brook" is no longer available on demand. Watch the trailer and learn more about the film.
The 18th season of Made Here debuted on Sept. 7, 2023, with "Whitman Brook," a documentary about its namesake – an apple orchard in Quechee. The film deals with love, loss, and rejuvenation through cultivating and maintaining the orchard.
Vermont Public's Jenn Jarecki was joined in studio by "Whitman Brook" director Ben Silberfarb to talk about the film. Their conversation is below and has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Jenn Jarecki: So, Ben, what exactly was the film that you set out to make, and did you end up making it?
Ben Silberfarb: Yeah, it's interesting. Terry Dorman, the owner of the orchard called me up about two and a half years ago now and asked if I could just come over and do a little filming of some of the pruning techniques that he was doing. Within about 15 minutes of arriving at the orchard and kind of talking with Terry and watching his process in pruning these 100-year-old apple trees, I knew that there was a bigger story. And our relationship grew over that period of time. He allowed me a lot of time to kind of spend with him and understand the process of him bringing back this 100-year-old orchard. So, it slowly evolved.
Originally, we didn't set out to make a film about the orchard, we simply were interested in kind of documenting some of his techniques in apple pruning and bringing back an old apple orchard, but it it evolved into a much bigger story. And like any place with so much history like this orchard, there are many different stories to be told. So over the two years that that we spent together, there were a lot of stories, and what you see is what we came up with.
From the outset, it's clear that loss is a salient theme in the film. Ben, can you speak more about that?
Yeah, it is a theme of the film -- loss and renewal is a very prominent theme in the film. And that again, took place over time -- that story emerged as I got to know Terry and his story. The orchard, in many ways, is analogous to Terry's life or his approach to life. He lost his wife, and to me, although I'm not sure Terry sees it this way, him bringing back this orchard was a tribute to his wife, was a way to heal, was a way to bring back her memory.
So, observing him over a period of time, observing his story, it really just evolved. You know, with a lot of film or, or any story development, we forget how much time is needed for things to evolve or for you to become more in touch with a larger picture, or what's actually happening in a place or a person's life. I felt really lucky that Terry allowed that time for me to develop that.
I think this story and the landscape and the way we shot it, were in some ways a tribute to my love of this state.Ben Silberfarb
"Whitman Brook" was completed before this year's historic May frost and July flooding, Ben. What is it like to watch the film now in light of issues faced by many apple growers and farmers across the state?
Yes, this affected Whitman Brook Orchard as well. I think Whitman Brook was lucky in how it was situated where it wasn't as affected by the frost. So, I think this year's crop is okay -- I think he did lose quite a bit, not as much as many orchards. But you know, again, this frost and the floods are another landmark in the history of Vermont or in the history of this orchard.
The film has a really deliberate meditative pacing throughout. Why tell the story that way?
I guess my feeling or my thought is there is a lot of information that is thrown at us today through you know, the internet, or there's a lot of fast pace information through Instagram or TikTok and so on. So we are exposed to a quick and fast pace story. So, this is really an anathema to that. I really wanted to tell a slow story, I wanted to tell a story that I feel is much more realistic in how people live. This orchard, which was originally planted in 1910, was abandoned in the '60s, and then Terry came along and brought it back was a perfect example of something that I'm interested in telling.
It's important to know that in most industrial situations or farming situations of apple orchards, they probably would have ripped these trees out and replaced them with faster-growing rootstock. But Terry decided to do something else -- he took these trees that had a tremendous character and in their physical presence in their structure, and you know, you just look at these trees, and you see the history, you see the stories and the years that have passed in them. And you know, Terry was very interested in that and bringing them back as an example of how you could make an old thing thrive. Bringing back something that is old and making it new again, and so on, are also themes of the film.
Ben, you've hit on this obliquely, but why choose a project so deeply rooted in Vermont?
Well, I grew up in Vermont, I've lived here my whole life. I did escape for a number of years, went to graduate school, and lived in New Jersey for a little while, but always knew I was going to come back to Vermont. You know, I think this story and the landscape and the way we shot it, were in some ways a tribute to my love of this state. I really think it's a special place. And so I'm really interested in telling stories about Vermont and telling stories about Vermont's wildlife, the people that live here, and so on.
"Whitman Brook" premieres on Vermont Public's main TV channel on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 8:00 p.m.
