With 2005 officially at an end, a quick look back at the best films of this year reveals a great trend which will hopefully continue on into 2006…the continuing rise in popularity of documentaries. Oddly enough, it seems nature documentaries reigned supreme this year with the massive box office success of March of the Penguins and the critically acclaimed Grizzly Man. Although The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill may not automatically ring a bell, it’s definitely yet another example of a successful documentary and a great film.

The film centers on Mark Bittner, one part beatnik, one part hippie, five parts bird lover. His uncanny ability to exist without any real financial income finds him living rent free (thanks to some kind tenants) on San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill. Over time, Mark decided he wanted to become closer with nature and decided to begin feeding the local birds. As it turns out, the local birds aren’t so local after all. Telegraph Hill has been overrun by a flock of about eighty some-odd wild Cherry Headed Parrots. After years of studying this rare flock of birds, Mark becomes a local legend, naming every one of the birds and keeping detailed journals about his ‘hobby’. One interesting part of the film is a series of people telling urban legends of how the birds came to be. Ranging from pets released into the wild to birds escaping from cargo boats from abroad, it seems as though everyone has a different story of where these parrots came from.

Although Mark is basically the lead character, his supporting cast is equally as interesting. A select few of the flock’s most interesting members become major characters in the film, seemingly expressing their own individual personalities. (with a little help from Mark’s storytelling) Connor is the grumpy anti-social outcast with a blue head, Mingus is the rambunctious parrot that refuses to leave Mark’s house, and Sophie is as Mark describes her, the ‘French girl’ who goes through a mourning stage after her partner Picasso is believed to have been killed by a Hawk.

Shadowing the everyday struggle of these birds is Mark’s own story of survival. When Bittner is given an eviction warning due to planned renovations, he finds himself dealing with the idea of leaving his flock of friends behind. The question is raised about whether or not Bittner has made the birds dependent on him and how his absence may affect their survival. This is just another example of a documentary that creates an interesting story out of subject matter that might otherwise be looked at as boring or uninteresting.

As far as the film itself, the only downside for me was the music provided by Chris Michie, best known for his work on…Star Worms 2: Attack of the Pleasure Pods? It’s not that the music was bad; it just wasn’t my taste and sounded a little too generic. But that’s not enough to take away from the interesting story of these birds and Mark’s mission to study and protect them.

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Recommended If You Like: Winged Migration, March of the Penguins, Grizzly Man, Jupiter's Wife

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