Australian filmmaker Sally Aitken was inspired when she read the story of a Los Angeles woman, Terry Masear, who has devoted her life to rescuing wounded hummingbirds.
Her film, Every Little Thing, is a delight.
It has awe-inspiring slow-motion photography of hummingbirds captured in flight, or hovering as they sip a flower’s nectar, or flying backwards, sideways or upside down.
Interwoven are hints of Masear’s personal story. Born into poverty and abused by her mother, she left home and went to Los Angeles, where she met her husband and achieved four graduate degrees. Her book, Fastest Thing On Wings, was published in 2016.
Masear has developed an extraordinary empathy with hummingbirds, tiny creatures no heavier than a marshmallow, with wings which beat faster than the eye can follow at 50 beats a minute.
In the past 20 years she has rescued more than 500 hummingbirds a year.
Peak season is April to July, when the birds return to Los Angeles to nest after flying south for the winter.
Masear has a hummingbird hotline where rescuers ring her at all hours with pleas for help.
The film follows her through one season, where we see her tending to Jimmy, Charlie, Raisin, Mikhail, Alexa, Cactus and Sugar Baby.
She tries not to bond – it’s too painful – but there are inevitable failures.
“I never measure a rescue by the outcome – only by the compassion that goes into trying to save the bird in the first place,” she says.
“Caring for wildlife means you need to be comfortable with failure or loss – but if you do it right, they fly away in the end.”
Watching Maseur handling her tiny patients is amazing – she has such extraordinary empathy that they seem without fear as she picks them up, washes them, encourages them to hop from one branch to the next.
Before they can be released, the birds must be strong, healthy and bold enough to hold their own in the feisty hummingbird world.
It’s a thrilling moment when Masear opens the door of the big cage and invites the little birds to leave.
Suddenly they realise they are free and they fly out the door and high into the sky.
Use of drone footage soaring above Los Angeles is a reminder of how vast is this city of 12 million people.
* Every Little Thing is now showing at Hoyts cinemas. There will be a virtual Q&A with director Sally Aitkin at Luna Leederville on Thursday, March 27.
Watch the trailer…
