Whispers in the Woods (Le Chant des Forêts)
Director – Vincent Munier – 2025 – France – Cert. U – 95m
*****
Grandfather, father and son settle into the woods to watch the wildlife, and possibly catch a glimpse of a rare bird – out in UK and Ireland cinemas on Friday, November 13th
Woods. Mist slowly rising. For what seems like an eternity. You are watching, waiting. This sets you up for what is to follow.
In many shots, the pin-sharp images capture foreground vegetation while animal or bird life moves tantalisingly in the soft or out of focus distance. And yet, that’s what transfixes you as you watch. You have to be patient, but are rewarded intermittently with footage of birds, owls, deer, lynxes and more.
The setting is the dense and isolated forests of the Vosges region of France.
Intercut with all this are the activities of three generations of the wildlife-observing Munier family: grandfather Michel, father Vincent and 12-year old Simon, as they construct hides to watch the fauna, walk around snowbound vistas all night to view wildlife that has accepted them, or camp out overnight in sleeping bags. Vincent, the film’s director, is the award-winning wildlife photographer who previously made The Velvet Queen (2021).… Read the rest