Sweetgrass played the festival circuit last year and got small releases in New York (FIlm Forum) and Los Angeles (Nuart.) It’s actually very easy to describe:
This (literally) sprawling look from 2001 to 2003 of a Montana sheep farm that follows no set narrative structure, or even the usual documentary crutch of flash over substance (i.e. The Art of the Steal.) Screened earlier this year at NYFF and AFI, Sweetgrass is a constant lingering shot of Americana that you’re not even aware is dying until the credits. Of course, there are some choice moments that may be questionable attempts from the husband and wife team of Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Ilisa Barbash: when a sheep is being shorn along a truly hellish assembly line, there are the faintest traces of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell" peeking through the roar of the shears.
It’s out on DVD now. You really must watch it and buy it.
Also, if you’re into making silly photos or gifs about animals doing things, this is like an untapped treasure trove of sheep being silly. So, there’s that too.