Image: Apple TV+
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We have a lot to thank David Attenborough for. Most of us wouldn’t know about half of the weird and wonderful creatures on this planet without the help of Attenborough’s iconic narration. But there’s still more we can learn, particularly from 2020.
This year, the 94-year-old natural historian isn’t slowing down his fight for our natural world and has two new documentaries just in time for Earth Day.
How David Attenborough Became Nature s Voice of Reason (Column)
Caroline Framke, provided by
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There’s little in this world more soothing than turning on a nature documentary and hearing David Attenborough’s calm, steady voice. Even as a disembodied narrator, the 94-year-old presenter has become such a ubiquitous presence that watching any nature doc without him feels strange, as if trying to put on a shoe before realizing it’s on the wrong foot. This month, in fact, Attenborough’s voice anchors two separate productions: Apple TV Plus’ documentary “The Year the Earth Changed” (out April 16) and Netflix’s “Life in Color” (out April 22). In both, he proves why he has become the go-to authority on the natural world as he highlights wonder and warnings with equal urgency.
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JAPANESE filmmaker Naomi Kawase returns with a tender and touching exploration of adoption and parenthood in this stunning drama, Japan’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards.
The film follows successful professionals Sakoto (Hiromi Nagasaku) and her husband (Arata Iura) who, after a long and unsuccessful struggle to have children, decide to adopt a baby boy. Their world is rocked years later when a girl (Aju Makita), pretending to be the youngster’s birth mother, turns up on their doorstep.
The story unfolds via a non-linear time structure as you witness differing perspectives from each of the protagonists a little confusing at first. With gorgeous, calming visuals of watery landscapes, leafy branches blowing in the wind and breathtaking sunsets interspersed throughout, Kawase paints a thought-provoking picture of the guilt and heartbreak of couples not able to have children and young teenage mothers being forced to give up their babies because they ca