Village of Swimming Cows (2018)

UK/Poland, Documentary, 78 min

Is a new healthy lifestyle only a passing fashion of rich city dwellers or can it really change the world? What does it really mean to be close to nature? Ellen, Mario and Jon, members of the spiritual commune – the Spirit Center- head East to the Beibrza National Park for a working holiday. They extend their stay in a small Polish village close to the Belarusian border where they rent an old wooden cottage from a local farmer. While there they meditate, practice acro-yoga, wash naked in the well and eat vegetables found in rubbish bins, all with the aim of reconnecting with nature and reducing their footprint on the planet. Local’s caution to their exotic ways, communication barriers and fundamentally different life philosophies makes bridging the culture gap difficult – is friendship possible between followers of alternative lifestyles and the rural communities they infringe upon?