In the year 1975, California is ravaged by a global pandemic, and the last man on Earth, a military scientist named Robert Neville, is left to fend for himself. He must battle a group of mutants who are intent on eradicating him. As he fights for survival, he also searches for a cure to the disease that has wiped out most of humanity.
The Good Life is a British comedy TV show that follows the life of Tom and Barbara Good, a married couple who decide to ditch their conventional lifestyle and pursue a self-sufficient life on their suburban London property. They face various challenges and comedic situations as they try to grow their own food, keep farm animals, and generate their own electricity, much to the confusion and amusement of their conservative neighbors.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) tells the story of a man and his daughter who live on an isolated commune. Their way of life is threatened when a new family moves nearby, leading to conflicts and challenges. The movie explores themes of environmentalism, illness, and the complexities of relationships.
After being abandoned by her mother, a young woman named Ichiko returns to her rural hometown in Japan. She rediscovers the beauty of nature and the joy of simple living as she spends a year in the countryside, learning about Japanese culture, cooking, and horticulture.
After their mother passes away, a group of siblings are left to navigate the challenges of life on their own, including dealing with an absentee father and facing secrets and betrayals within their family. They struggle to survive and protect each other, learning the importance of self-sufficiency and the power of sibling relationships.
Dominick works as a garbageman while his brother Eugene is a medical student. Dominick, who is protective of his brother, struggles with self-sufficiency and suppressed memories of their abusive father. The brothers' bond is tested when they confront their past and face a tragic event.
In a dystopian future, a woman navigates a post-apocalyptic landscape in search of sanctuary. Along the way, she forms a bond with other women and encounters obstacles including memory loss and male violence. The story explores themes of sisterhood, self-sufficiency, and survival in a society on the brink of collapse.
Newly divorced, Elise is renovating an inn that she inherited from her grandparents. When Luke, CFO of a major hotel chain, arrives in town, she does her best to scare him off… but Luke just might be the best person to help her restore the Inn at Apple Hill to its former glory.
It's Not Easy Being Green is a television series on BBC Two starring Dick Strawbridge and focusing on how to live an environmentally friendly, low impact life. To date there have been three series. Series one followed former Lieutenant-Colonel Dick Strawbridge, his wife Brigit, son James, and daughter Charlotte as they moved into Newhouse Farm, a 400-year-old listed building in Cornwall, England from Malvern, Worcestershire. The series documented the family's attempts to convert the building and garden into a comfortable yet entirely ecologically friendly place to live. The show was perhaps unique in that the family did not want great sacrifices in achieving their goal, and Dick Strawbridge said "I don't want to wear a hemp shirt and hairy knickers, I want a 21st-century lifestyle with a coffee machine". In the first series they received advice from permaculture expert Patrick Whitefield and green auditor Donnachadh McCarthy. They were also helped by friends Jim Milner and Anda Phillips as well as at points a small army of friends and relatives. A book entitled ‘It's Not Easy Being Green: One Family's Journey Towards Eco-Friendly Living’ ISBN 0-563-49346-1 by Dick Strawbridge was released to accompany the series and is still available to buy.
Following on from the hugely popular Out of Town, Old Country saw Jack Hargreaves continue his exploration of rural life in Thomas Hardy country – reflecting on its character, traditions, history and folklore, and the skills that had passed from generation to generation.
During the Great Depression, the Boxcar Children, a group of orphans, find shelter in an abandoned boxcar. As they make it their home, they stumble upon a hidden secret that leads them on an adventure to uncover the truth. With the help of their self-sufficiency, hard work, and determination, they overcome challenges and learn the importance of trust, family, and resilience.
A documentary film that captures the experiences of ordinary Chinese citizens during the Cultural Revolution, showcasing their struggles, work, and the effects of Maoism. It portrays the class struggle, the impact on the working class and peasants, and the principles of communism in Communist China during the 1970s.
The solitary and largely self-contained Augustin (Jean-Chretien Sibertin Blanc), on obscure young actor of bit-parts and advertisements, has but one ambition - to play the lead role in a Kung Fu epic. But hours of Kung Fu practice alone in his room are not enough. Augustin knows he must pack up and start a new life in China... or at least that part of China within bicycling distance: Chinatown in south-east Paris. There he meets Ling (Maggie Cheung), a young Chinese woman who practices ocupuncture, and little by little, Ling's needles awaken emotions in Augustin that his virginal body had never dreamed of. Where will this lead him? To Kung Fu stardom, maybe not, but to another destiny, a quirky but logical continuation of the same dream.
In 1854, noted American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau published his influential book 'Walden; or, Life in the Woods' about his attempt to live self-sufficiently in his cabin in the woods near Walden Pond, MA for two years.
Meet Richard Jackson - a man fed up with the insanity of "plastic" suburban living. Rallying his befuddled family around him, Richard mounts an outrageously comic assault on credit card craziness, "Yuppie" status symbols and "the system" in general!
Corruption, assassination and street rioting surround the story of the award-winning film, Power Trip, which follows an American multi-national trying to solve the electricity crisis in Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Power Trip provides insight into today's headlines, with a graphic, on-the-ground depiction of the challenges facing globalization in an environment of culture clash, electricity disconnections and blackouts.
Kate Humble helps people looking for a simpler life in the country.
Best Boy is a documentary film that follows the life of a mentally challenged man named Philly, who is living with his family and inspiring those around him with his positive attitude and love for life. The film explores Philly's relationships with his family members, his experiences in school, and the challenges he faces as he grows older.
A short documentary about everyday objects, the people who used them, and the beauty of that use. From the video description: "An encounter with the past. The introductory film for visitors to the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) - Country Life. It tells a story about Irish traditional folk life, the self-sufficiency and community spirit by which people's lives were played out against a challenging physical environment. That environment quite often dictated the materials, crafts and traditions by which lives were lived. The museum's collection of 'ordinary things', on display in Turlough Park, illustrate these stories." Written and narrated by Irish writer and broadcaster Theo Dorgan. Made in association with the NMI — Country Life. Available online on the Youtube channel of the NMI — Country Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCYrq8yWSSQ
The Page family lives without electricity or running water deep in the Sussex woods. Amidst ever-growing modernity and industrialization, the family carries out chores, hunts pheasants, builds steam engines, and postulates on man's trip to the moon. They demonstrate fine lateral thinking and, through their particular delivery, display fears and concerns about pollution, intensive farming, mechanization, and self-fulfillment during a time of technological advancement.