WHAT SHOULD I PUT IN MY COFFEE?
Winner
Audience Award for Best Feature
Livable Planet Film Festival
"As its 86-minute runtime ticks by, a seemingly straightforward question morphs into an informative look at the food chain supply and an engrossing personal odyssey for the filmmaker.
Because Lanthier is also the host/narrator of the project, a genuinely intimate atmosphere emerges... It allows for a true connective tissue between the film and the audience that is rarely achieved by other productions."
In 2020 I achieved a life-long goal and directed a feature-length documentary film. "What Should I Put in My Coffee?" probes the ethics of dairy and dairy alternatives from myriad angles, including sustainability, animal rights, and agricultural politics.
To explore these issues I interviewed a broad range of individuals who intersect with coffee creamer in various ways—baristas, farmers, agricultural researchers, historians, and consumers of all backgrounds. I asked them about their habits and perspectives, and how those formed. Many opened their hearts to me and revealed their hopes, dreams, beliefs, and fears.
I wanted to make a human-centered film—a film that resembled a vulnerable conversation. I let my interviewees stumble over their words. I did not stop to "set up" shots while following subjects around. And I edited the film to favor long, unbroken shots of human faces struggling to articulate inner experience.
I was the sole crew member on the production—all content, including music, was made by me.
The film has screened at festivals across the United States and received several positive reviews.
