By John Corrado

The 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 25th to May 5th in Toronto

Toto is an aging gold harvester in Tierra del Fuego in Chile, who spends his days panning for gold in the old fashioned way, finding small specks that he carefully separates out from the dirt. In his sixties, Toto relies on selling these specks of gold to tourists, but his body is breaking down, and his son Jorge is worried about how long he can continue doing this on his own.

Director Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza provides a portrait of this father and son in his slice-of-life documentary The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine. The film follows them as Jorge tries to build a trommel, a gold harvesting machine, for his dad. Toto is an eccentric old guy (he takes seven spoonfuls of sugar in his coffee and has strong feelings about what happens after death), and often bickers with Jorge. But it’s clearly because the son cares about his father, and wishes that he would take his health more seriously. It’s a simple but charming and enjoyable father-son story.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine screens as part of the 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.