What It’s About
“Nocturnes” follows ecologist Mansi and her small team as they count and catalogue various moth species, particularly the hawk moth, in the Eastern Himalayas. Illuminating a white sheet at night draws thousands of these creatures in different colors and sizes. The study tracks the makeup of moths at different elevations, testing the hypothesis that with climate change, hawk moths are moving to higher, cooler places, potentially throwing a fragile ecosystem out of balance.
Why We Love It
This mesmerizing doc is not just for science nerds. Those whose only exposure to moths is a hole in their sweater will be astonished at the sheer variety of the species, and the fact they inhabited the earth before the dinosaurs. The film portrays the unglamorous, painstaking process of conducting Mansi’s study at night, in remote terrain, often in inclement weather. At the same time it showcases the beauty of this much-maligned insect, and the lush, untamed region where they’re concentrated. Via its immersive sound design we hear the full chorus of nocturnal creatures as the team does its work, to mind-blowing effect. Winner of a Special Jury Award at Cannes, “Nocturnes” is kind of trippy, but it’s a trip worth taking.