Scary Man

Turns out Alfred Hitchcock wasn't kidding with The Birds, judging from this international award-winning documentary from the Netherlands that offers up an oddly compelling chronicle of the ongoing war being waged against overgrazing geese, cherry-stealing starlings, and other winged nuisances. The weapons range from the conventional (netting, scarecrows, flare guns) to the bizarre (elaborate Rube Goldberg contraptions), especially since the pacifist community goes to great lengths to avoid using the shotgun. Farmers run through fruit groves banging on tin drums, or laugh loudly and maniacally from treetop perches. But although the proceedings are often humorous to watch, the issue is serious business to the Dutch since the birds lay waste to crops (and, in one tragic case, even cause a plane crash), making a mockery of every "planned and coordinated" approach. Scary Man can be enjoyed for its own unique and offbeat self, or as a profound meditation on our relationship with the species who share our planet. Either way, it's a hoot. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Lee Benson)