Wilding

Adapted from the bestselling memoir of the same name by Isabella Tree, this visually stunning documentary captures the author (who narrates) and her husband Charlie Burrell’s determination to revive the land after he inherits a 400-year-old, 3500-acre English farm. The property has seen better days – its soil now turned to dust from overproduction – so the couple set about handing it back to Mother Nature, introducing longhorn cattle, wild pigs and ponies, and allowing the trees, weeds and bushes to take root. What happens next is sure to amaze.

First-time director David Allen spent years capturing Tree and Burrell’s remarkable experiment with graceful patience. Debuting at the BFI London Film Festival, his film delivers joyous footage of the transforming terrain and the incredible animals – some endangered, others long thought lost – that flourish within its boundaries. Bolstered by gorgeously animated interludes, it’s lovingly crafted and packed with advice on how we can all play our part; Wilding is a breath of fresh air bearing the promise of a brighter future.

Screening Dec 16 in the Luna Outdoor.