The observation deck overlooking an ancient pine forest in Lithuania, decimated by the toxic defecations of the local cormorant population, provides an uncanny platform for human commentary on environmental change, population increase and migration. Swinging between hilarious, horrifying and Hitchcockian, Acid Forest makes spectacular use of a bird's-eye view to show the shocking sparsity of the woods below and the impressive heights of human hypocrisy. Tourists complain of an avian plot to destroy nature, that "it started after the war, when we expelled them from Europe" and "they have to be exterminated." Uttered against the surreal backdrop of denuded trees no longer lush enough to hide the entrance to one of Hitler's bunkers, this criticism sounds less like a conspiracy than an historical fait accompli. A paradise free from natural predators, with plenty of fish and lots of room to procreate, is a luxury afforded to only one species on Earth… and it's not an aquatic bird. Angie Driscoll
The Changing Face of Europe program presented in partnership with European Film Promotion (EFP).