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Title: The Minimalists: Less Is Now (2021)
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| Credited cast: | |||
| Joshua Fields Millburn | ... | Self | |
| Ryan Nicodemus | ... | Self | |
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Dave Ramsey | ... | Expert Interview |
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Denaye Barahona | ... | Expert Interview |
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T.K. Coleman | ... | Expert Interview |
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Annie Leonard | ... | Expert Interview |
| Erwin Raphael McManus | ... | Expert Interview | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Robbie Jean Arbott | ... | Extra |
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Tammy Bantan | ... | Everyday Minimalist |
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Ashley Boddorf | ... | Everyday Minimalist |
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Annie Chen | ... | Everyday Minimalist |
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Mariah Coombs-Schneeberger | ... | Ryan's Wife |
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Ella | ... | Joshua's Daughter |
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Vanessa Gaytan | ... | Everyday Minimalist |
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Shawn Christopher Harding | ... | Stage Manager (as Shawn Harding) |
The film's title was inspired by the popular maxim "Less is more," popularized by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), who used this aphorism to describe his design aesthetic; his tactic was one of arranging the necessary components of a building to create an impression of extreme simplicity. The Minimalists have reworked this phrase to create a sense of urgency for today's consumer culture: now is the time for less.
This does not add any further value to their 2015 documentary. So by their own principle, this follow-up should not even have been made.
Instead of delving into their personal journeys towards accumulation and subsequently minimalism, they could have done better by discussing the psychology behind accumulation. This was briefly mentioned as companies exploiting people's psychology to get them to buy things.
If they want people to do the reverse and turn towards minimalism, the obvious angle would have been to take a closer look at the vulnerability that causes people to compensate with accumulation. Basically they should have invited a psychologist to discuss Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Once our basic physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, i.e, food, water and shelter, people need a sense of love and belonging which then enables them to achieve self-esteem and ultimately self-actualisation. These are the needs that marketers exploit. So the question is not "How might life be better with less?", but "What is truly missing in my life that I have been trying to fill with stuff?".