Spread Your Wings

Thomas is packed off to spend the summer with the estranged, scientifically obsessive father he barely knows, and finds him raising wild geese in order to teach them a new migration route. The method is as strange as the goal: because the birds imprint on him, a human has to fly ahead of them in a small powered paraglider. In the end the boy flies it. Nicolas Vanier drew on real practice, since ultralight-led bird migration has been attempted in Europe for years. The flight footage is genuine and that is where the film's value sits. The family thread and the bureaucratic obstacle are resolved through familiar formulas. Who it is for: viewers who like nature films and family adventure built on real flying footage. Who it is not for: anyone wanting an unpredictable story, since the plot announces itself early.