Wilding
In David Allen’s documentary, the British countryside is celebrated in one of the most significant rewilding experiments in Europe.
Is this documentary a film likely to be acclaimed by the vast majority of those who seek it out? The answer is undoubtedly "yes". Is it a work which finds the approach of its director, David Allen, alien to my own personal taste? Just as assuredly the response to that question is again "yes". Later in this review I will explain this likely divergence of opinion about Wilding but first of all I should say something about the film’s subject-matter and its range and about that I can be wholly positive.
In point of fact for many this film will need no introduction since Isabella Tree’s The Book of Wilding has become a best-seller. Isabella and her husband Sir Charles Burrell (a man so unassuming that he likes to be known as Charlie Burrell) are the central figures in this film treatment reprising themes developed in the book. They live at Knepp in West Sussex on an estate of 3,500 acres in a grand house designed by John Nash which Charlie inherited in the 1980s. Initially he farmed it in the standard intensive way relying on subsidies to counter the cost of pesticides and the like. By the start of this century that system had led them into debt and they had to rethink things. But equally key to what happened next was the fact that they became aware of an experiment that was being carried out in Holland by the ecologist Dr Frans Vera. Inspired by his example they embraced the concept of wilding thus creating a haven in which fences were removed and animals could run free. The result would be to regenerate the soil, enable pigs, ponies and cows to live untrammelled and to become a location which attracted vast number of birds. Locals who embraced established farming methods were hostile and for Knepp to become a site for beavers it took as long as eight years to obtain the necessary legal licence. Despite opposition and occasions of crisis (concerns about ragwort and creeping thistle were temporary stumbling blocks ultimately resolved by nature itself) the project has thrived.
In effect Wilding sees Knepp as an example of an ancient landscape being reborn and as something that needs to be duplicated widely. All this is an issue of the moment which may have been touched on in other films but is at the very heart of this one. The film is wholly supportive of what Isabella and her husband are doing but that will please those who seek it out and, indeed, its message to trust in nature could not be more timely. But, while I welcome the arrival of a film on this subject, I do now need as a critic to explain why the mode adopted by its director rung so many wrong bells for me even if it is probable that many will take a different view.
The first point that I would make is that while the film contains some great photography the tone is strongly romanticised in contrast to such films as The Nettle Dress (2023) and The Moo Man (2013) which in their beauty avoided giving that impression. The self-conscious romanticism here extends also to the music score which favours touches of song frequently with wordless voices. Secondly, with Isabella as the main narrator, the film retells some of the past history of the estate during their time there. Without any real need for it, this leads to the inclusion of little re-enactments. If Isabella refers to likely visits from a civil servant, we have it illustrated by shots of him arriving and departing, this being a wordless role for the actor Paul Sheridan. Unnecessary recreations of past scenes, however brief, break the sense of documentary realism and there are plenty of examples of it here. However discreetly it is done, the inclusion of actors Rhiannon Neads and Matthew Collier to represent Isabella and Charlie when younger again strikes a note of inauthenticity. Another possible instance comes up early on when Ted Green, an expert on trees and their interconnection, is seen giving advice: one takes this to be the man himself but I don't know if it really is because the film’s end credits refer to Jon Wennington in the role of Ted Green! Nor is it just human actors who are involved: scenes with animals are just as obviously set up for the camera (this extends to an occasion years ago when pigs run amok and which is seen in a staged recreation). Elsewhere various points are put over by using animation but that is acceptable enough given that we are clearly viewing stylised footage which could be nothing else whereas re-enactments give the impression of trying to pass for the real thing (a further example of that accompanies a spoken recollection of a meeting with neighbours who were critical of what was being done). One further cause for questioning the film’s approach lies in the decision not to interview Isabella or Charlie but to have them speak direct to camera: neither of them is fully at ease and thus give the impression that what they have to say has been set up. They function far better when providing the frequent voice-over comments.
Add these points together and their impact was persistent enough to stop me from surrendering to the film despite my genuine interest in what was being said about wilding. Allen’s film is not without its wisdom in that it builds to a neat climax involving wild storks and beavers and at 75 minutes is adept enough not to feel over-extended. Indeed, it's only fair to stress once again that despite my own reservations I do feel that many viewers will love this film unreservedly.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Rhiannon Neads, Matthew Collyer, Jon Wennington, Paul Sheridan and as themselves Isabella Tree, Charlie Burrell, Derek Bow, Dr Frans Vera.
Dir David Allen, Pro Gaby Bastyra, Screenplay Isabellla Tree, from her book The Book of Wilding, Ph Simon De Glanville and Tim Cragg, Ed Mark Fletcher, Music Jon Hopkins and Biggi Hilmars.
Passion Planet/HHMI Tangled Bank Studios/Submarine Deluxe-MetFilm.
75 mins. UK. 2023. UK Rel: 14 June 2024. Cert. PG.
