Overland (Revere La Noue, 2018): USA

Reviewed by Abby Farer-Haydon. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

I feel honored to have seen such a well done movie that taps into my love of animals and nature. Every aspect of this movie is exqusite. The subjects of the movie have three very different stories from different parts of the world. Khalifa  is from a Middle Eastern country and is part of a team that races falcons for sport. Giovanni appears to have a sublime life in the Italian countryside as The Green Man who lives simply and is in tune with nature. The last subject of the movie is Lauren who corageously devotes herself  to rehabilitating abused birds .

The film maker follows the three bird enthusiasts as they go through their daily lives. We see the  three persuing their passion within their lifestyle. Khalifa is part of a team where anything that is needed to get the falcons to fly faster is employed.Next we see Lauren bringing her bird into her hotel room along with her suitcase.  Giovanni seems to have an isolated life in the country where he connects with his horse as well as his bird.

This movie is not for vegetarians. There are many graphic scenes where we see the birds finding and devouring their bounty. In a beginning scene, one bird actually wounds the handler, clawing right through the glove, when the bird feels it is being kept from its dinner. All three of the guardians discuss the reality that these birds are hunters and that hunting is a part of  Nature’s divine plan.

One thing that becomes very clear in the movie is that it is possible to have a loving relationship with these birds. The owners/handlers get very attached to their charges. It is awe inspiring to see that the birds love them back and do not try to hurt their keepers. There is trust and appreciation  inherent in all the interactions with the birds. Khalifa, the Middle Eastern falcon keeper says something to the effect in the movie that if the bird is not happy it will not come back.

This movie is so impressive in so many ways. The arial shots of the landscapes and the way they shoot the subjects along with the countryside truly  shows the validity of the title  Overland. We see the vast landscapes that the birds fly over as their keepers work with them.The music that goes along with the ariel shots really takes the audience’s breath away.

I felt as if I was floating away into the story due to the seamless presentation that the movie offers. I feel this movie will do well in theaters. Like March of the Penguins, it will give the audience an endearing glimpse of these magnificent birds and help us to understand their realities.