Make our earth a wildlife friendly place - Movie review : Spread your wings

 

Much impressed by a short video I had once watched about a team of flying geese, I booked a ticket for the film “Spread you wings” (孤雁和你飛) at the first chance. While confirming the truthfulness of the description of the geese’ inborn behaviour as depicted in the video, the film gives me great joy in learning that more government support combined with greater human efforts will lead to success in wildlife conservation. 

The film features the attempts of Christian, an ornithologist, to save the lesser white-fronted geese, an endangered species, by guiding a team on a flight to Norway, from which they are expected to fly back on their own on a new migration route to where they were hatched, thus learning to avoid industrial structures such as airports, powerlines, hunters and light pollution on their annual migration’s flight path. 

It can be classified as a science fiction film showing interesting details about the use of imprinting techniques to make the cute goslings get used to and then attached to Christian and Thomas, his 14-year-old son, seeing them as their parents. It is fun watching the grown geese following them wherever they go, even on a flight. The way they are trained to escape from human hunters provoke bursts of laughter among the audience.

 The airborne story is also dramatically grounded on touching details. Much attention is drawn to a remarkable change in Thomas when he witnesses the baby geese emerging from the cracked eggs. As he holds one of them in his hands, naming him and speaking gently to him, his face beaming with joy, he has become a loving father, a complete contrast to the grumpy computer addict he used to be. He displays the same fatherly tenderness when he puts into his bosom a scared goose which has strayed off the track. Thomas’ mother, previously strongly against her son’s flying a plane, is later seen blowing flying goodbye kisses to him and screaming her heart out at the sight of the returning ultra-light aircraft! 

Even the non-environmentalists are captivated by the beautiful visuals the film displays. It is fascinating to watch the geese flying alongside the ultra-light aircraft gliding across the sky and, in some places, over crowds of watchers, awestruck and mouths agape with excitement! From various perspectives captured by drone, the film provides stunning aerial views of sparkling seas, green forests and mountains often highlighted with scenes of the sunrise and sunset.

 Sound effects also play a fascinating part. The scene of the geese in flight alongside the small plane is empowered by delightful music, giving the impression that both the human pilot and the birds are enjoying the freedom afforded by nature. On the other hand, the tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning highlights the danger in which the flying team is trapped. When at last the plane tears itself out of the storm clouds and starts gliding slowly towards safety, the audience feel pacified by very soothing music. 

All in all, “Spread your wings” is an enjoyable enviro-friendly, fact-based family film recommendable also to teachers for a lesson on wildlife protection. In fact, the story of the joint effort of the father and son tells the world that there are things we humans can and should do to make the earth a more wildlife friendly place. The West Indian proverb “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” is a good reminder of our need to protect the environment for the sake of the future generations.