DOCUMENTARY; 1hr 25min
DIRECTED BY: Laurent Charbonnier
Birds do it, bees do it: Frogs, too
The opening narration by actress Milanne Kang is as lyrical as the balletic images in French film-maker Laurent Charbonnier’s joyous documentary about “the gestures and the language of desire.” “Let us all rejoice in the presence of the mystery,” Kang gently and politely suggests. And rejoice we do as Charbonnier and his super-dedicated crew give 80 species of furred, feathered and undersea creatures the delicate observational treatment. From busy-bee crabs to those tenderly entwined elephants, no breed is too tiny or too towering.
Nature documentarians know a thing or two about patience — as its production notes point out, Animals in Love (“Les Animaux Amoureux”) filmed 170 species for two years in more than 16 countries (in temps ranging from –30C to +50C!). And merci and bravo to them for that: the mating rituals that Charbonnier and Co have caught and treasured are as playful, surreal and intriguing as only “the chemistry of passion” knows how to be.
