The visuals were beautiful, the characters endearing, and the story uplifting. But this movie seemed to me to consist almost entirely of carefully designed and staged pieces. Just a couple of examples: a) The capture of the egret from the nest. It includes shots from multiple angles, including a several shots from what seems to be a go-pro mounted on the huntress's hat. However, in the wide shots, no camera positions are visible, and there's certainly no camera on the huntress. Staged. b) The "interviews" in which the dubious elders initially express their skepticism, then their tolerance, then final grudging acknowledgment, were all shot at the same time, one after another, even though they're supposedly responding to events that happen at various stages of the movie. The lighting, costuming, and staging are clearly from the same recording session. c) The climactic competition sequence includes multiple ground level closeups of the action, which would require several cameras on the field. However, in the wide aerial shots of the same sequence, no other cameras on the ground are visible.
I could go on, but you get my drift. It's a beautiful feature film: but when the scenes are faked, one can't help but wonder how much of the story is true.
I could go on, but you get my drift. It's a beautiful feature film: but when the scenes are faked, one can't help but wonder how much of the story is true.