Resilience | WATCH DOCS

True to form, the Czech filmmaker, known for his aesthetic sensitivity (“Central Bus Station” screened at WATCH DOCS seven years ago), once again explores the intricate relationship between humankind and nature. His new film follows two parallel stories: Pavel works to restore dying wetlands, while Klara protects endangered birds of prey. Tomáš Elšík renders nature with mesmerizing finesse and visual poetry. The opening images of predators gliding soundlessly over a lake evoke the pure essence of freedom. What begins as a meditation on coexistence evolves into a gripping, almost crime-thriller-like inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of eagles, revealing the immense pressures under which nature now struggles to survive. Through this lens, the film exposes how forces like globalization, the tyranny of profit, and cultural constraints distort our fragile bond with the natural world. 

Konrad Wirkowski