January 18, 2025

There's a line in this documentary that tells us that moth-watching is a waiting game, and that it requires patience. Well, so is a film about them - and for much of this we don't really advance much in our search of the reclusive hawk moth in the forests of the Himalayas. When it does come alive, though, it's fascinating to see the sheer variety of flying nightlife their screen attracts as they try, quite meticulously, to position it to attract … read the rest.

There's a line in this documentary that tells us that moth-watching is a waiting game, and that it requires patience. Well, so is a film about them - and for much of this we don't really advance much in our search of the reclusive hawk moth in the forests of the Himalayas. When it does come alive, though, it's fascinating to see the sheer variety of flying nightlife their screen attracts as they try, quite meticulously, to position it to attract these creatures that are drawn to the light. The people here actually add very little, indeed I could probably have done without them altogether. Just leave us with the imagery and some pretty impressive audio and you can quite literally get lost amidst the wonders of a natural world that we rarely stop and take notice of. At times it sounds as if you are in the middle of a monsoon with the wings of thousands of insects flapping furiously for the few days or weeks they have to live before they breed-on, die or are food for an equally astonishing array of suitably adapted fauna. It's a bit on the long side and can be repetitive, but the vibrancy of the sounds and colours hit the mark from time to time and it's quite a therapeutic watch.

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