SXSW Online 2021: Plant Heist Review

Anna CampionMarch 29, 202175/100n/a4 min
Directors
Chelsi de Cuba, Gabriel de Cuba
Rating
n/a
Running Time
18 minutes
Release Date
n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Plant Heist may be a short film, but it fills a tall order by making the theft of succulents feel like the crime of the century.

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Crime, one of the most gripping aspects of modern civilization. Murder, theft, assault, it all stems back to the evils of capitalism, but that’s a take for another day. Plant Heist, a short documentary film from filmmakers Chelsi and Gabriel de Cuba, takes us to an odd, but sinister, plot to steal the rare Dudleya Farinosa plants from its native California coastlines, and export them to China and South Korea illegally. This is a great short documentary, and manages to do what documentaries do best: give an audience a window into a niche world they would have never considered before.

Plant Heist uses almost exclusively interview footage from different people involved in this scheme. Patrick Foy, a California Department of Fish & Wildlife officer, Stephen McCabe, a retired botanist, and Emily Hickok, the Deputy District Attorney for Monterey County are just some of the fascinating characters in the wings of this succulent story. 

This footage paired with real photos and footage of the stolen plants and the perpetrators, gives it all the dimension in any Netflix crime documentary, just pared down to a cool 17 minute run-time. Gabriel de Cuba was the Director of Photography for Plant Heist, and he did an amazing job of showing the wonder of the California landscape, while also doing artistic recreations of the crimes themselves while his ability with the camera should be commended.

Being de Cuba siblings first documentary film, they absolutely smashed it. If the film was to be handled with less skilled hands it would not have been nearly as engaging. If Plant Heist is of any indication, this duo is one that is definitely worth keeping an eye out for!

still courtesy of SXSW


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