Winged Migration

The documentary follows migratory birds, and does it from beside them: the camera flies inside the flock, a wing away. The method is as interesting as the film. The crew raised most of the birds from the egg so that they would accept people as part of the flock, a process called imprinting. Those birds then learned to fly alongside purpose built ultralight aircraft and hot air balloons. Filming spread over four years and across every continent. There is almost no narration, only music and the sound of wings. The strongest passages are where the birds meet people: hunters, factories, nets and pollution. It was nominated for best documentary feature at the seventy fifth Academy Awards. Its flaw is that it does not inform. Species and routes are barely identified, and the method that made this proximity possible also weakens its claim to be watching nature undisturbed. Who it is for: viewers who love nature documentary as visual experience. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a scientific account.