Whispers in the Woods

This César Best Documentary–winning French box-office smash, with a score featuring Warren Ellis, is a stunning visual and aural immersion into the misty Vosges mountains.

Three generations of nature lovers set out to find the western capercaillie amid the densely wooded and visually spectacular Vosges, a French mountain range close to the German border. Award-winning wildlife photographer and filmmaker Vincent Munier joins his 12-year-old son and father, environmentalist Michel Munier, on a journey through the forest in search of the endangered bird. But even though the capercaillie might be rare here, other wildlife are not. Munier’s camera captures bears, deer, owls and more, in all their visual and sonic glory.

After winning awards in the National History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition three years in a row in his youth, Vincent Munier has in recent times also turned his hand to the moving image. His first feature documentary, The Velvet Queen, charted his quest to find the elusive snow leopard; Whispers in the Woods brings him back to where he grew up, and to a far more personal quest. While Munier’s images are extraordinary, what sets this film apart is how they combine with the sound design (which also scored a César) to highlight the unique aural vibrations of these woods – all underscored by Warren Ellis, Dom La Nena and Rosemary Standley’s score, which itself earned a Lumière Award for Best Music. An exquisite love letter to family and to the wonderful world we live in, Whispers in the Woods is best experienced on the big screen.

Content: Melbourne International Film Festival