As a birder, I was immediately drawn to Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching, a seemingly amateurish but actually sophisticated piece of filmmaking on YouTube, put together by two American brothers to document their “big year,” a full-on 365 days of counting bird species across the nation. But the appeal of this brilliant movie should not remain with hardcore birdwatchers for the Reisers prove themselves masters of the art. Perfectly paced across the year, maxed out on humor and chronicling “the moment,” and interspersing beautiful color photos of the most beautiful avian creatures, Listers explores the nature of obsession, the pleasures of nature, the passion of the ambitious, and (less overtly) the horrors of extinction in the Anthropocene Era. The cinematography is simply brilliant, mixing together hand-held reality viewing, filmed interviews, bird beauty, and imaginative graphics. I recommend Listers to anyone still imbued with curiosity; hopefully this gem might attract you to a hobby that might yet save the world.
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