THE GARDENER (Sébastien Chabot). 88 minutes. Opens Thursday (May 18). See listing. Rating: NNNN
Even those with no horticultural ability whatsoever – okay, I’m talking about myself – can enjoy The Gardener.
Sébastien Chabot’s documentary pays tribute to the life and work of Frank Cabot, who planted a stunning English-style garden called Les Quatre Vents on 20 acres of his family’s land in Charlevoix, not far from Quebec City.
Using interviews shot a year before Cabot’s death in 2011, Chabot crafts an appropriately reverent look at the man’s life and work, with plenty of footage of his magnificent creation and some follow-up commentary from family members.
There isn’t much more to say about The Gardener, really, other than to appreciate the way Chabot leaves room for viewers to wonder about their own legacies in the light of his subject’s remarkable accomplishment.
That’s a fine little grace note.