Kestrel's Eye (1998) User Reviews

Beautiful view of Skanör

[ransmyr · 10/10 · 10 January 2002]

Beautiful and faschinating film! At first you might think it is about the birds, but after a 2nd thoughtm it is really about the life around the birds. Funerals, weddings, everyday life, the people who are seen by the bird who looks out from the tower of Sankt Olofs chrurch in Skanör in the very southwest Sweden. And by the way, it is my mother cykling by in one picture!

THOMAZ RANSMYR

A season in the life of a Kestrel family.

[raptorphile · 17 April 2000]

Kestrel's Eye documents the life of a family of European Kestrels during a breeding season. All aspects of the birds' lives are filmed from pre-breeding and hunting, through copulation, to growth and fledging. A camera was even placed inside the nest area so as to capture the private moments of incubation, hatching, feeding, and growth (I read that Kristersson insured that the birds were not disturbed during filming). The film nicely contrasts the Kestrels' existence with that of humans by filming from the birds' perspective and using only ambient sound for the soundtrack. Thus the viewer witnesses human life as an observer rather than a participant. Although the direction is nice, some of the filming is a bit 'rough' due to the fact that following birds of prey is not easy. The result is a film that is a wonderful nature documentary and a statement of how far removed from nature humans can be. Highly recommendable for nature-lovers (especially birders) and anyone who has ever asked, "Why would someone want to study birds?"

Will appeal to some, very much, others, not at all

[klowey · 10/10 · 4 April 2020]

Both "Beautiful view of Skanör" 10 star and "A sure cure for insomnia" 1 star are perfect reviews showing two entirely different reactions to this movie.

I absolutely loved it. But it's the kind of film I'm partial to (i.e. I like early Ingmar Bergman). Plus, I work with parrots, thus am a huge bird-o-phile. So, you decide if it's the kind of film you'd like.

A sure cure for insomnia

[scott-vandemotter · 1/10 · 14 November 2011]

I had high hopes going in to this film. I love nature documentaries and I love birds. This seemed like a great fit for me.

Unfortunately this film does not deliver in the information department or the entertainment department. Some narration would go a long way in improving this movie. There are so many good wildlife films out there today. There is no reason to waste your time on this film. There is no discernible story, no discernible message.

Go rent "Winged Migration" or any David Attenborough film to quench your thirst for wildlife. I would like to say more about this film, but it is really just 2 hours of footage of birds fling into and out of a small hole in the side of a church.