Stanislaus

Ancient Caves offers an exclusive glimpse into places most mortals never get to see, and even for dedicated professionals it is a great and dangerous challenge. Giant "halls" filled with magnificent stalactites, endless depth and impenetrable darkness – images that are both amazing and terrifying at the same time. It's interesting how one can gain information about times long past – in addition to the beautiful imagery, this documentary is also very informative, and although the scientists focus mostly on the past, the knowledge given can help us understand what may await us in the future.

A Rare Breed is not only a story about chicken breeding, but also about Rob Wilson, who is himself a kind of genetic rarity, to which the title of the film lightly refers. On the one hand there are the efforts of one man in the field of "chicken genetics", on the other hand there is his personal confession in which Rob comments on his own identity and life journey. An interesting blending of two issues!

The comparison to a documentary thriller is really appropriate in the case of Sea of Shadows. The documentary follows the intense struggle of activists and agents against the illegal trade in meagre air bladders that threatens the lives of other species in the Gulf of California. At times the documentary has a truly dark, almost thriller-like atmosphere, and all involved deserve high praise for the courage with which they went about filming to draw attention to an issue that is overlooked by many. Illegal fishing linked to organised crime and Asian traffickers seems to be a really complex problem and it makes you shudder to see what people are capable of for money. I was intrigued by the work to rescue the porpoises, the implementation of which ran into all sorts of obstacles. On the one hand, the film points an erect index finger at human greed, recklessness and callousness, but on the other, it highlights the efforts of a group of people to make the world a better, more considerate and safer place.

The Serengeti Rules offers a breathtaking insight into the work of five scientists from different backgrounds who had one thing in common in their research, they wanted to get to the bottom of how the balance in nature works, and which link in the food chain is essential to it. After watching it, I have to say that I feel very enriched by the information and the documentary definitely offered me many interesting insights for further thinking. Aside from the beautiful shots of nature, for whose order we humans are the most fatal agent, the film also focuses on the five scientists themselves, offering a glimpse of their beginnings in the field of science. Although The Serengeti Rules pushes a little on the emotions at the end, it is without question of great narrative value and certainly deserves the viewer's attention.

Before the screening of the film, I had almost no knowledge of slime molds, which, despite their primitive structure, have extraordinary properties that could be the envy of any other creature. In the course of fifty minutes, the viewer learns various insights into the life of these single-celled organisms that continue to surprise scientists. These billion year old creatures can do unimaginable things without brains, nervous systems, mouths and limbs that make people lose their minds – ideally, they could be used in the future for research into serious diseases. I was also very interested in the information insert with the flatworms.

An amazing documentary offering a lot of breathtaking footage of the life of impressive creatures, which whales are without a doubt. During the screening I learned a lot of new and extremely interesting information about the sophisticated way of hunting, taking care of the young or typical habits of these huge animals. Whether it was the astute humpback whale, the caring sperm whale or the savvy killer whale, this gang really won me over with their wisdom, cleverness, sensitivity and sophistication.

The Other Side of Mars offers a very interesting perspective on the issue of depicting reality through photographs, while alluding to the degree of objectivity in the subjective assessment of visual perceptions. Accompanied by distinctive, almost metallic sounding music, the viewer travels to the surface of our neighbouring planet to learn how scientists are trying to map and explore this environment, which is very distant to most of us. However, despite the obvious narrative value of the documentary, I had quite a hard time empathizing with the issues at hand – even on a layman's level – and by the end I didn't even find myself much more informationally rich than before the screening.

I am ashamed to admit that until now I had no idea about the Great Bear Rainforest, which made this documentary extremely useful for me in terms of information. Accompanied by Ryan Reynolds' light-hearted commentary, with a witty remark here and there, the viewer is transported for forty minutes into an unspoiled and almost untouched by man landscape that is home to a variety of animal species. I was very surprised by the existence of the Kermode bear (pr “spirit bear”), whose survival is ensured by the descendants of the local indigenous population. But I also found the snippets from the lives of other representatives of the animal kingdom interesting, like sea otters or American black bears and grizzly bears.

Burning Blue offers a solid premise: a love story between two men in a naval air force setting under President Bill Clinton (the "Don't ask, don't tell!" policy), but the execution is nothing but average, which is a real shame. The film could have benefited from a shorter running time, better direction of the actors, and more emphasis on drama. It was interesting to see the different approaches of each character towards a taboo subject in a setting that looks at the issue through closed eyes. I also appreciated the restrained approach to the relationship between Dan and Matt, where physical action was replaced with more innuendo and sexual tension. However, like I said, there was definitely more to be made of it.

At Home with Olaf is a series of short sketches, some of which resemble everyday scenes rather than having any kind of plot, it will surely entertain the youngest audience, especially thanks to the infectiously positive Olaf, who seems to be on something (in a good way) the whole time. The quality of the stories varies, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't entertained. I didn't roll with laughter, but a rueful smile did appear on my face a few times.