Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Common Ground

Play trailer Poster for Common Ground PG 2023 1h 45m Documentary Nature Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 99% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Common Ground is the highly anticipated sequel to the juggernaut success documentary, Kiss the Ground, which touched over 1 billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative "regenerative" models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America's economy -- before it's too late.
Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

Where to Watch

Common Ground

Critics Reviews

View More (16)
Tomris Laffly Variety Joshua and Rebecca Harrell Tickell challenge the country’s unethical farming practices through experts and celebrity advocates in a naive film that nonetheless inspires change. May 20, 2024 Full Review Donald Liebenson Chicago Reader This film might make you just as much a true believer. Yes, Virginia, there is regenerative agriculture. Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Marya E. Gates RogerEbert.com The film equivalent of an Instagram infographic stamped with an uplifting yet hollow platitude. Rated: 1.5/4 Nov 10, 2023 Full Review Valerie Kalfrin AWFJ.org a sobering yet inspiring rallying cry for revamping the world’s farming system. ... [The narrators give] COMMON GROUND a down-to-earth touch in urging viewers to leave the world on better footing, and the filmmakers add a postscript on how to do that. Dec 11, 2023 Full Review Alan Ng Film Threat That rare documentary that actually proposes solutions…practical solutions. I fear that the solutions will disappear into the void if we don’t say anything. Rated: 9/10 Dec 5, 2023 Full Review Robert W. Butler Butler's Cinema Scene Common Ground makes an encyclopedic case for regenerative agriculture. If that sounds like an earnest science lecture…well, it is, sort of. But the filmmakers (Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell) knock themselves out working to keep our attention. Rated: B Dec 1, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (35)
Jonathan B Packed with great information and storytelling! Stunning visuals, amazing narration, clear explanations. This movie is sobering, practical, hopeful and inspiring, all at the same time. Ill be watching it again! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/08/23 Full Review Heather Finally, a movie that doesnt just tell us everything weve done to destroy our planet with ominous warnings of doom if we dont do something to change but a thoughtful, easy to understand, well laid out and clear SOLUTION. This film should be played in every high school in the country. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/23 Full Review Maggie B From climate challenges to community struggles, it is clear that the way our world produces food has affected the entire Earth. Little did I know, farmers across the country were already practicing the very method that could reverse these issues, while also healing our beloved planet. Directed by Joshua and Rebecca Tickell, Common Ground completely opened my eyes to a movement that is not just about saving the Earth, but also about creating a better life for the people who live here. The film presents regenerative agriculture as a solution to these struggles, which is a farming practice that revives natural resources and works in harmony with Earth. The film ties together a number of stories from regenerative farmers and highly-educated activists who are challenging the industrial food system. By focusing on their personal experiences that compelled them to advocate for change, the film shows how switching to regenerative farming can provide hope for a sustainable future. As a viewer, I could feel the true importance and the weight this movement has on our planet. From cancer-causing pesticides appearing in our drinking water to drying lands due to climate change and CO2 emissions, the film describes how these current issues raise concerns for everyone across the globe. However, Common Ground supplements each of these problems with hopeful, feasible, and current solutions that transcend feelings of positivity and motivation to those watching. Furthermore, the cinematography done by Simon Balderas and Joaquim Pujol was absolutely remarkable. With sweeping aerial views of gorgeous landscapes, candid footage of working farmers with great personalities, and powerful time-lapses that capture land coming back to life, the film truly made me feel like I was a part of the stories that were being told. Overall, Common Ground is both moving and empowering. With unforgettable visuals and inspiring solutions, it shows that a better future is not only possible but already happening, and we can all be a part of it! I highly recommend it to anyone, as all audiences will be impacted by the messages and artistic elements that are incorporated into this astonishing cinematic experience. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/10/25 Full Review Christie S SO IMPORTANT for humanity's future! Everyone should watch this well-done documentary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/15/25 Full Review Nat R Definitely a must watch Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/03/25 Full Review Isaiah A Gabe Brown stands between two fields. To his left is a vast expanse of lifeless dirt. To his right, a sprawling field of perennial pastures and verdant trees. On his neighbor’s plot, wind has eroded away the healthy topsoil, leaving the ground desolate and bare. On his own land, a line of trees and robust crops ensure that the soil holds firm. The difference between these two fields – industrial farming versus regenerative soil management – could decide the fate of humanity. Before discovering this film, I, like many others, had no concept of the severity with which conventional agriculture damages our health and our environment. Common Ground reveals how agro-industrial chemicals and tillage damage the microbial biome in the soil and reduce the nutritional content of the food we grow. What’s more, carcinogenic chemicals leach into our food, damaging our health and the health of future generations. While at first this news shocked and disheartened me, the film soon revealed how the very methods that made Gabe Brown’s field green even while his neighbor’s land remained desolate are the same methods that do away with harmful tillage and chemicals. These soil-healthy practices include growing cover crops and conducting managed grazing with livestock. By working in tandem with nature, rather than against it, these methods ensure that strong, healthy plants grow to feed strong, healthy humans. Collectively known as regenerative agriculture, this soil-conscious approach to farming not only prevents the loss of the soils we need to feed the world, but also draws carbon out of the atmosphere, mitigating and even reversing the adverse effects of climate change! The documentary reveals how, if embraced on a large enough scale, regeneration might make the difference between ecological disaster and human flourishing. Longtime eco-documentarians Joshua and Rebecca Tickell bring together an all-star team of soil health advocates and celebrities. Familiar faces such as Rosario Dawson, Jason Momoa, and Laura Dern, whose sobering narrations paint a harrowing yet impassioned picture of how we can change. Meanwhile, down-to-earth farmers like Rick Clark, Glenn Elzinga, and Alejandro Carillo deliver first-hand experience implementing these methods, and reaping benefits both ecological and financial. The Tickells do an impeccable job balancing a diverse collection of voices, channeling them all into one beautiful and harmonious call to action. Before seeing this film, I was prone to despair for the future of our planet. But after seeing how regeneration has healed places like Salmon Idaho and Chihuahua Mexico, it’s difficult not to imagine how great a difference we can make if we act now. This is a film I will definitely be revisiting again as a reminder of how I can do my part in making the future just a little brighter, a little cleaner, and a little greener for generations to come. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Common Ground

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet 96% 96% David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet Watchlist Pump 75% 82% Pump Watchlist Kiss the Ground 88% 99% Kiss the Ground Watchlist The Territory 97% 82% The Territory Watchlist Fire of Love 98% 84% Fire of Love Watchlist TRAILER for Fire of Love Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Common Ground is the highly anticipated sequel to the juggernaut success documentary, Kiss the Ground, which touched over 1 billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative "regenerative" models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America's economy -- before it's too late.
Director
Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell
Producer
Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell, Eric Dillon
Screenwriter
Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell, Johnny O'Hara
Distributor
Big Picture Ranch/Area 23a
Production Co
Benenson Productions, Big Picture Ranch
Rating
PG (Suicide Awareness|Injury Images|Some Language|Smoking|Thematic Material)
Genre
Documentary, Nature
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 29, 2023, Limited
Runtime
1h 45m
Most Popular at Home Now