Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The

Aroview: The unlikely tale of a homeless street musician in San Francisco, Mark Bittner, and his longtime attachment to a flock of wild parrots (red-crowned conures), whose origins and range are unknown, in the suburb of Telegraph Hill.

Plumbing the mysteries of animal-human interraction with a non-anthropomorphic respect for its complexities, this accesses Bittner's own neo-Beatnik theories of shared consciousness with surprising poignancy and depth. When a property developer seeks to evict both ex-hippie and avian companions from their adhoc home, the story takes another twist into true drama. Like the best documentaries, this quickly transcends its putative subject matter with a fascinating glimpse into how affinity and meaning is generated between living creatures.

NZ International Film Festival 2005

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