Nature vs New York
Movie of the Week: Wild Inside
Hello Friends,
One of the themes of the narrative ensemble film I’m working on is the way New York City interacts with Nature. The vibrancy of the city is artificial, charged with human endeavor, and at the same time, like all human endeavor, it exists within a natural world that shapes us more than we acknowledge. Every city contends with the relationship between people and nature. Animals, rain, wind, rivers, plants, trees, snow, sun, seasons, day, night, constantly affect the urban environment. I’m fascinated by and take much delight in the ways Nature presents in the New York City experience and that is part what my movie is about.
Here’s a video of some pigeons I took the other day next to the main branch of the library off 42nd Street:
I love birds, I love nature, I love New York, and I love the ways all three intersect. Thus, after a lull, I’m excited for my new film pick of the week: the documentary Wild Inside by Penny Lane. Her film is about Flaco the Owl and his notable zoo escape and adventures in Central Park. Ms. Lane has managed an admirable and sustained career–this is her sixth film–and if you wish to get to know her better has an excellent Substack Penny Lane. After an outdoor premiere in Central Park, it opened this weekend at the IFC Center. We’ll see it next Tuesday night (Aug 4).
To the pleasure of films and the discussions they spark,
Josh