Wildlife is endangered and we know this very well. Every year some species disappear forever and we are standing still watching this abomination happen. Lead singer of Radiohead, Thom Yorke, when asked about how he sees the future of the world, he responded: “Well, my son really loves wildlife. And every time he draws a polar bear I want to tell him there probably won’t be any by the time… he’s my age. That is kind of hard to deal with.” In ‘Voice from the Wilderness‘, Jason Britski focuses his attention on the activity of the Canadian ecologist Robert J. Long, showing his working methods and his assumption upon climate change based on his life long experience.
As expected from a nature-based documentary, the main theme is unconsciously raising the issue of the wildlife being endangered by presenting the viewer beautifully made collages of wild animals acting peacefully and natural. Long’s life is a continuous journey between some of the most spectacular views nature can offer.
The cinematography in ‘Voice from the Wilderness’ is great, being centered on the point of view kind of shot. This technique leaves you time to enjoy the spectacular background and the beauty of the animals as…characters. The score is quite good, not being foregrounded in order to leave the nature do the “music”.
Long comes with a line that perfectly fits our modern world and also concerns us a bit: “People want to believe that everything is fine, everything will be ok. (…) The fear is so intense on a subconscious level that they have chosen to become distracted by consumer technology in this entertainment age”. If someone comes to you in the street and says it to your face that you are too scared to be aware, you may become angry towards him. But this is the truth. Fear is the main thing that keeps us out of the saving and preserving our environment, leaving everything (at least in our minds) in the hands of the big corporations because “they have a plan and they won’t let us die as long as we consume”. This may sound a little bit out of place, but what Robert J. Long teaches us the same thing Ghandi thought us some decades ago: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. The greatness of this documentary consists on the reality infusion only wildlife can provide and based on this we think Jason Britski’s film is a must watch for every film lover, environmentalist, animal lover or, why not, every child that wants to be easily introduced in the wildlife experience.
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