Being a person who doesn't like having too much stuff, I have been interested in the tiny house thing for a while. H put Tiny on her Netflix queue and we watched it this past week. The film was interesting, but flawed.
The central story, the film makers building a tiny house, felt more like a distraction than anything else. It was the interviews with people living in tiny houses that was the meat of the piece. I wanted more of the interviews and the issues about living in a tiny house.
The central story could have been more interesting if it was given more depth. There are mentions about money troubles and issues with not knowing construction, but they lacked details. It could also be that, in the end, I didn't find the film maker's compelling characters. They came off a bit like privileged lost ones.
The interview subjects presented a more diverse and compelling slice of humanity. They all had experience living in houses and made their decisions based on real world concerns. None of them did it simply to see what it was like. The interview subjects also lived their convictions. They lived in tiny houses.
The film makers never actually lived in a tiny house during the movie. From what we see of their lives, they are pretty typical. In the end, I wish they had actually had some experience living in the house.
SPOILER
My review may be tainted by my discovery that since building the house, the film makers have spent very little time in the house. The man did spend some time living in the house, but eventually quit it for LA. The woman lives in New York. While it is generally unrealistic to expect a film maker to "live" the life depicted in a documentary, this case felt disingenuous. They made it seem as if this was a life at least one of them planned on living and not just a stunt for a film project.
