Tiny: A Story About Living Small

Overview

Big things come in small packages. It’s a familiar adage, but one that feels perfectly suited to an innovative new housing movement gathering momentum around the world. Built no larger than caravans, with wheels to circumvent construction codes, tiny houses emphasise clever design and efficient use of space, minimising the structure’s environmental impact while saving homeowners house-loads of cash.

Inspired by the growing real estate phenomenon, Tiny: A Story About Living Small follows the attempts of director Christopher Smith to build a miniature residence of his own. Originally envisioned as a two or three month project, the enormity of building even a tiny house soon becomes apparent, as the year blows by rapidly. But Smith and his girlfriend (and co-director) Merete Mueller remain committed, soldiering on through financial constraints, the weather and the scepticism of family and friends.

In addition to chronicling their own journey, Smith and Mueller also reach out to other tiny house owners, exploring the various reasons — both practical and philosophical — that inspired them to start thinking smaller. Certainly, in the wake of the global recession, the movement makes a certain amount of sense. Not only are tiny houses cheaper to purchase, they also cost less to heat, power and maintain. Moreover, in a society where we’re conditioned to define ourselves based on our possessions, there’s something rather liberating about the idea of living with less.

Truthfully, the conversations with the tiny townsfolk are more engaging than Smith’s building project, which, despite being an intriguing starting point, lacks the weight to really anchor an entire documentary. The amateur builder reflects on his motivations in voiceover — born into a military family, Smith lived in more than a dozen different houses as a child, never in one place long enough for it to really feel like home. Yet as the movie stretches on, the narration grows rather repetitive.

At just over an hour in length, Tiny exists in a weird middle ground between full length feature and short film. Given that the movement it documents is all about the efficient use of resources, one wonders if it couldn’t have been condensed. Ultimately though, while Smith and Mueller’s vision has a few more rooms than are necessary, the tiny house movement itself ensures the film is still an interesting watch. Who knows: it may it even inspire you to draw up some floor plans of your own.