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As a hobby, Pearl Fryar, an African-American factory worker in a small fading town, took up gardening, specifically creating fantastic and fantastical topiary. With no training, Fryar spent decades sculpting discarded hedges and trees into abstract art. Now, his three-acre front yard — long an off-beat tourist attraction drawing both horticulturists and fans of outsider art — is helping to put tiny Bishopville, S.C. on the map. In their charming little documentary, filmmakers Scott Galloway and Brent Pierson catch up with Fryar, as the soft-spoken sharecropper’s son explains the larger rewards his garden has brought, including inspiring young people, healing racial rifts, honoring God and just giving him a chance to thrill in his unique talents. There are few surprises in this laudatory, inspirational film, but Fryar is a worthy subject and a motivator to careless gardeners everywhere. (Wait until you meet his neighbors.) His topiary works featured here are simply astounding. Starts Fri., Oct. 17. Regent Square
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2008.
