>>REVIEW
THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL
FEATURING Mark Bittner
DIRECTED BY Judy Irving
Opens Friday, August 12
Uptown Screen
The quest for meaning and passion in one’s life is an admirable endeavour given the society we live in – even when that passion involves something as unconventional as having a meaningful relationship with a flock of wild, cherry-headed conure parrots. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is an articulate though slow-to-start documentary following the experiences of one such bohemian San Franciscan, Mark Bittner, as he tends to a flock of parrots and comes to peace with his own situation.
Caught in a kind of limbo between both the beatnik and hippy lifestyles and unable to make a living being a musician, the middle-aged Bittner rejects typical societal notions of working to live rather than living to work. Jumping from one odd job to another, he is continually searching for something to give his life purpose until the vibrant green and red feathers of a wild flock of about 45 parrots on San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill catch his eye.
The parrots, brought to the U.S. from South America, are thought to have originally escaped captivity. Bittner, living nearby in a rent-free cottage, starts to feed them, developing an intimate relationship with the birds and tending to sick and crippled cherry heads in his home. He names each one, and his observations of the parrots and intricate detailing of their distinct personalities and behaviours are compelling.
In Connor, a blue-crowned conure, Bittner finds his animal equal. The parrots are usually found in pairs, but after Connor’s mate dies he is left alone and depressed and it parallels Bittner’s own quest for love and acceptance. Bittner sees Connor as a cool, cranky old bird with a gentle heart – a sort-of outcast because he is a different species from the cherry heads. "He tolerates everybody around him, but he doesn’t really have anybody that he loves," Bittner says.
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill isn’t as dry as those old nature documentaries on PBS, but the first 45 minutes do drag. When the fate of the flock is left in question after Bittner is forced to move, the concern for the flock’s well-being anchors the film. Subject matter aside, the film’s rawness and somewhat awkward editing work suit the film’s bohemian vibe and are a refreshing change of pace from the packaged summer blockbusters.
Bittner’s intelligent narration and anthropomorphic characterizations of the birds eventually draws viewers in, leaving an unforgettable impression of the unconditional love that can occur between humans and animals. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is gentle in its message of love, passion, acceptance, healing and death, but is as articulate and captivating as Bittner himself. |
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