Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries, 2025.
Directed by Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Perenti.
SYNOPSIS:
An epic ‘encyclopaedia’ documentary telling the human story through three non-human subjects, animals, plants and stones.
Running over three and a half hours and broken into three distinct parts with a helpful intermission, this haunting philosophical documentary can safely be described as epic. Dexterously made and produced, the film tackles three unique subjects, employing different cinematic techniques to deliver a truly fascinating work.
The first section, focusing on humanity’s treatment of animal life and how cinema has shaped this relationship, comes with a warning about potentially upsetting archival footage of animal experimentation and suffering. Indeed, there’s much in this part that’s difficult to watch; some scenes truly test your endurance. However, the footage serves a specific purpose: to highlight just how far humankind has attempted to differentiate itself from the animal world it belongs to, all in the name of science, or, even more unforgivably, in the name of sport.
This segment adopts a “found footage” approach, with filmmakers D’Anolfil and Perenti researching and editing archives, offering their reactions and ruminations on their discoveries. They provide an enlightening overview without it ever feeling like a lecture; the film itself always remains the most important element. Cinema’s obsessive attempts to showcase the animal world continue to be an endless source of contemplation. After all, animal movement is intrinsically linked to the history of cinema; one of the first video motion sequences was Eadweard Muybridge’s capture of a horse’s galloping stride.
The human focus becomes less intrusive in the film’s latter two parts. Part Two examines plant life, offering a far calmer study of Earth’s garden. It also presents a profound and melancholic view: whether we like it or not, the world would be just fine without us. The intriguing concept of the “end of life on Earth”, meaning Earth without humans, is studiously observed.
The backdrop for this section is the stunning botanical gardens in Padua, the world’s oldest, dating back to 1545. It provides a meditative space for contemplating the importance of plant life. We learn from an academic that plants constitute approximately 80% of the world’s biomass. Furthermore, human life would be impossible without them, as they store carbon dioxide. If they were to cease this function or disappear, the climate would become unliveable.
Part Three concentrates on stone and monuments, bringing us back to human memory and the idea of commemoration. The worst evils of 20th-century human history are starkly contrasted with the enduring life of stone, fossil, and rock. This cleverly links back to cinema and the act of recording a moment, preserving it whole. Although an air of melancholy never truly dissipates, everything decays; even digital recordings have a shelf life, no matter how distant.
Overall, this is a powerful and poignant documentary that lingers in the memory long after viewing.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert W Monk
