Born in China

Disney's nature documentary follows three animals across a year: a giant panda and her cub, a snow leopard and her two cubs, and a young male in a troop of golden monkeys. Lu Chuan divides it by season and gives each animal a storyline. The footage is extraordinary, and the snow leopard hunting and defending territory belongs to the hardest class of wildlife shooting. The disputed part is the construction: the animals are named, their behaviour is explained through human emotion, and some events are plainly arranged to serve the narrative. The end of the snow leopard thread is unusually harsh for this kind of film. Who it is for: viewers who like nature documentary and are curious about Chinese wildlife. Who it is not for: anyone after scientific rigour, since storytelling is placed ahead of observation.