Storm Boy

When I saw the trailer for Storm Boy I thought it was so visually stunning that I immediately decided I wanted to see it.  I didn't hear anything more about the film or its release date so I kind of forgot about it.  Last night I was looking at the website for a movie chain that I sometimes frequent to see about getting advanced tickets for another movie and I saw that it was playing.  I spontaneously decided to see it and I am glad that I did because this lovely film about the bond between a boy and a wild pelican really touched me (at one point I was sobbing like a baby).  Michael Kingley (Geoffrey Rush) is a retired businessman whose former company, now controlled by his son-in-law (Erik Thomson), owns vast holdings of real estate.  He has been called to a shareholder's meeting to vote on a proposal to lease a tract of land to a mining company.  His granddaughter Maddie (Morgana Davies) angrily confronts him about the proposal and accuses him of not caring about the environment.  He then begins telling her about his childhood on an isolated beach in South Australia where his father Tom (Jai Courtney) brought him to hide from the world after the death of his mother and sister.  When young Michael (Finn Little) sees a group of pelicans who have been killed by hunters he discovers three newly hatched birds who will most likely die without their mother.  He decides to save them and, with the help of an aboriginal man (Trevor Jamieson) who lives nearby, he learns how to care for them.  His friendship with one of the pelicans (who he calls Mr. Percival after a character in Lord of the Flies) ultimately changes his life and changes his mind about the land deal.  I loved this movie so much!  It is a gentle and beautiful story that is told very simply.  Australia is one of the most beautiful places I've visited and the scenes on the beaches (it was shot in Coorong National Park) are absolutely breathtaking.  Courtney (who is hit or miss with me) gives a great performance and Little is so endearing as the young Michael.  I loved the scenes of him cavorting with the pelicans, especially when he is trying to teach them how to fly, and the scene where he lets them go back into the wild just about broke my heart.  This film is under the radar (at least in the SLC area) but it is definitely worth seeking out!