On DVD. Rated G, 83 minutes.
Okay, I admit it. This one takes the indie vibe a little far. But it showed up on PBS' Independent Lens tonight and I couldn't resist.
This 2005 documentary tells the story of Mark Bittner, the self-appointed caretaker of a flock of wild parrots living on San Francisco's Telegraph Hill. Bittner does not work, squats in a small shed behind one of the houses in the neighborhood, and lives in solitude off of the good will of his neighborhood.
He knows each of the 45 parrots by name, as well as their personality traits, partner and history. The director (Judy Irving) is trying to make a point about nature and the relationship humans can have with animals. Mark is a lifelong loner who has never fit in, but finds meaning and direction with the flock of parrots, in particular his ornothological doppelganger (rock me) Connor. According to Mark, Connor is compassionate and smart, but lonely because he is a different species than the other parrots and is not fully accepted by the group.
As a person who frowns upon squatting and not working, as well as a general avoider of all animals of every kind, I am obviously not the target audience for this film. That being said, the are some genuinely tender and emotional moments sprinkled in, and an interesting arc the last 15 minutes of the film when Mark has to leave his shed and part with his beloved birds. I laughed out loud at the epilogue, which stated that the director is now dating Mark Bittner.
If you're looking for a great bird movie, rent Winged Migration (A-). It is a moving and calming film tracking the migration of birds across Europe.
For your enjoyment, below is my own 'birdman' moment:
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill - C+
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2 comments:
Another great bird movie is "Fly Away Home" featuring a young, pre-X-Man, Anna Paquin as well as Jeff Daniels previously of Dumb and Dumber fame ;-)
first of all, that is the most unexpected picture (not he movie, the lawyer/bird shot) to yet appear on this blog. secondly, i heared an npr follow-up to this film yesterday. apparently san francisco has just passed a law making it illegal to feeds these parakeets. the law was spear-headed by mark bittner (the subject of this film) because he became convinced that the birds would become too tame and would be easily exploited by other humans. at first this caused him to quite feeding them himself, and eventually led him to work towards the passing of the law. just thought i'd pass that along since this movie review is the only reason i stuck around to listen to the full story.
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