Barista

I didn't know what to expect of this documentary BARISTA partly because I grew up in a region that was more into tea than coffee but I find BARISTA to be enlightening, it gives me newfound appreciation for what otherwise would be just a drink we'd consume every morning to keep us awake in the office and not think much about it.

Before BARISTA, I didn't know that that there was such a thing as a baristas competition, I didn't know that there was a skill to tasting coffee. Before BARISTAS, I only saw them as the guys with green aprons behind the counter writing my name on a white styrofoam cup and nothing more.

From writer/director Rock Baijnauth, BARISTA focuses on five top baristas in a national competition. You get to know each of these people, their lives, their families, their methods, their hopes, their ambitions, and most importantly why they choose to do what they do for a living. That's the part that arrests my attention because these guys, just as they point out themselves in this docu, get asked that same question a thousand times over by their peers and family members who just don't understand; they think this is just a stepping stone to another career. But as one of them points out, some of us just feel OK or content with what we have and that's OK. A lot of folks especially millennials today can relate to that. But to their credit, they love it so much that they become masters of their own craft, coffee artists if you will. And that's something to take away for those watching BARISTAS, it's informative and entertaining and passionate. It's a great little documentary. BARISTA is as much about the artists as it is about the coffee.

The only thing that would've made things much more interesting is if the story had had some kind of antagonist, to make the competition fiercer, like something would have to be on the line, it's all or nothing because the stakes are higher than just the idea of getting your name out there or the possibility of endorsements. But the movie settles for solidarity, which is fine by me, perhaps they could save that antagonist for the narrative feature version.

As someone who doesn't like or drink coffee, it's hard not to approach this film with heaps of extra cynicism. From the dramatic flourishes in editing, sequencing, shot composition, and post-production visuals, to shots and scenes that feel pointedly staged for the sake of the picture (e.g. One of the competitors pulling books of shelves at a library), parts of 'Barista' come off a bit forced. Two of the spotlighted competitors immediately impress as unlikable, with a third at risk of the same within 20 minutes. Moreover, to non-caffeine fiends, the notion of artisanal coffee as presented here looks like gentrification and appropriation rolled together with smug self-satisfaction, ego, and hyper-capitalist elevation of arbitrary basic commodities to near inaccessibility. Then add in the inflated pomposity of competition, not just by way of attitude, but also in the nonsensical bluster that is necessarily expected to be spewed as part of one's "routine." Maybe it's only by virtue of how filmmaker Rock Baijnauth presents these folks, but in my opinion there's a clear favorite for the viewer simply for the relative humility they display. Call me a simpleton or a luddite if you will, but for all the suggested complexity of the drinks being slung, I can't help but wonder how much of that complexity actually comes across in the finished product - just as with bouquets in wine - and the most meaningful question in my mind reduces all that preparation to a very basic "okay, but does it taste good?"

That these notes present first and foremost in 'Barista' is unfortunate, because there is earnest value here. After all, these baristas are doing something they love - to each their own - and why shouldn't there be a competition for any given craft, for those who are keen on it? One sees hints of de facto sexism and racism in the industry that aren't explored, nor questions of class, labor, and socioeconomic repression of workers. The very term "professionalism" (here applied to competitors' demeanor, and their very appearance) is a red flag, the workplace equivalent of "disorderly conduct" or "reckless driving" as a notion that exists only to give an individual a black mark when there's no other cause to do so. Preparation of beverages is a science, no less than gourmet cooking or viniculture, with every smallest aspect affecting and building into the whole; this is downplayed in comparison to the drive to score points, figuratively and literally. Similarly, though each competitor can unmistakably claim great passion, what is somewhat lost in this picture is a sense of fun, artistry, or genuine love - or, arguably, humanity, which also raises myriad questions about our culture.

In fairness, 'Barista' as we see it would not exist if not for the competition that is the central focus. And whatever the film may emphasize or deemphasize, or whatever one reads into it, overall it's very well made. Baijnauth's direction feels precise, and Andrew Moniz's editing is strong. The "narrative" and component elements are laid out with a method that suitably keeps one engaged. From a technical standpoint this is well made. It's just that in my mind it's the wrong facets of the industry and the competition that truly take precedence in the movie that we get, and they distract and overshadow the best that 'Barista' could have been. This is no especial fault on the part of anyone involved, it's just the result that naturally manifested; whether all this says more about the feature and those on hand, or about me as a viewer, is up for debate. Still, one could him and haw about the particulars all day - when all is said and done 'Barista' kept me watching, and even if it didn't entirely meet its top potential, I think it's well worth watching, and recommendable especially for coffe aficionados or the simply curious.