STORM BOY

I have fallen in love with this movie, which so beautifully tells the story of a young boy who raises three orphaned pelicans in Australia..........I cried through the last half of the movie, because this is real life, and there are humans, and, where there are humans, there are hunters and heartbreak.

But there is also love and so much beauty. The pelicans and the young boy are all amazing. 

People I tell about it say they can't watch, because of the pain of a creature dying. It is hard on my heart to watch, too, as the suffering of animals bothers me more than anything else on earth. And the loss of a beloved animal companion triggers my own grief at being without my black wolf, also a wild creature who chose to stay with me rather than run free.

But the creatures have so much to teach us about living in the now and being grateful for the present moment. They do not live in fear. They live fully while they are here. And I tell myself, if they can live it, I can bear witness to the courage of their journey. And speak out when I am aware of their suffering.

There is a good environmental message in this film too, with a very positive ending. Because of the boy's friendship with the pelicans and a wonderful Aborigine, a bird sanctuary is proclaimed and millions of pelicans are allowed to live in peace. And, much later, his granddaughter will carry on the fight to preserve it.