What makes an essay film different is its lack of constraints on the filmmaker i.e. the filmmaker can use anything existing or not, to express him/herself. Ironically, there is no one definition for it. To me, an essayistic film doesn’t pretend to be objective as well as reflective of anything, but the filmmaker him/herself. It does not seek the truth, yet it is honest in its own special way. The concept of gleaning addressed in the first example shown did not aim to just give an objective explanation of the subject and its history, but rather it played around with pictures and footage of the act and linked it back to the filmmaker herself as she used to do glean too. Also, the film did not limit itself by talking about the subject only, it included some personal thought of the filmmaker about matters personal to her. The film did not seek an end with an objective answer, the journey of the film in its own way is the answer – it is this abstract concept that distinguishes this type of documentary. In terms of how we can use it for assignment #2, that could be challenging due to the nature of our topic – environmental activism. We aim to address the historical significance of the grasslands through the use of expert opinion. The documentary seeks to inform, motivate, and persuade, so I’m not certain that the essayistic technique is the best to go about it.