Cane Toads: An Unnatural History

Mark Lewis's 1988 Australian documentary describes how a decision about pest control turned into a disaster. Toads brought from Hawaii to destroy cane beetles were released in Queensland; they did not eat the target insect, bred rapidly, killed native predators because they are poisonous and began spreading across the continent. Rather than relating this ecological error solemnly, the film handles it with strange humour: shots from the toads' point of view, overblown music and the extraordinary stories people tell. Some people hate them and run them over, others keep them as pets, and the documentary gives both attitudes the same seriousness. The scientific information is placed inside the account. Who it's for: viewers who like unconventional nature documentary and black humour. Who it's not for: anyone uncomfortable with scenes of animals being harmed; the film shows them.