If you go out in the woods today
The forest can be a dark and foreboding place, unless you go there with a friend. Be ready for surprises, throw hard and above all be careful of the hanging rope. Quite a list to work with, isn’t it. Tonight, we watched a movie that is labelled fantasy, is aimed at the youth market and may rank as one of the better pieces of cinema that I’ve seen this last while.
We rented Bridge To Terebithia, and I might watch it a second time before the video club collects it back. A masterpiece, with moments that inspire and others that bring the tears down enough to get the dog involved. A series of mental images that most of us don’t experience after the age of eleven, when we move to a big city and leave behind the neighbourhood woodlot.
I don’t want to ruin any of the surprises if you haven’t seen it yet, but the music class IS musical. The greenhouse does help plants to grow up healthy and strong. The dogs of this world are heroic. And, if you have one, keep your drawing pad close at hand and out of the rain. And “let the p be free” has nothing to do with algebra and everything to do with economics on a very personal level.
This movie has moments that might be over the top for a younger child. Don’t let that stop the adults in the house from kicking back and enjoying one of the better works to come out of the Disney studios. New Zealand hasn’t looked this fantastic since the last of the hobbits headed back to England.
