Matt Green, the curious subject of this simple yet sweeping documentary, is on a mission to walk every block of New York City’s five boroughs. He started this project, along with a blog of research and photographs of what he encounters on his walks, nearly seven years ago; by the film’s close, he is content to see no end in sight. A middle-aged minimalist, Green preserves his ambling lifestyle by crashing with friends and acquaintances, pet sitting, and living on $15 a day. Director-producer-editor Jeremy Workman, who also holds the camera during Green’s outings, includes perspectives that challenge Green’s own, such as ex-girlfriends who note Green’s resistance to future planning and a fellow walker who says, as a black man, he must think about how he presents himself in a way that Green, as a white man, does not. Still, Green’s openness to learning about himself and others by going out to notice and appreciate what most overlook—a crumbled landmark, an unexpected garden—is edifying.
The World Before Your Feet
1 hour 35 min • 2018
