The Bough Breaks
Exploring the life of visionary conservationist, Alan Watson Featherstone; his restoration of Scotland's ancient Caledonian forest and 'Rewilding' as a model of restoration in the fight to save our broken planet.
Top Cast
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Alan Watson Featherstone
Himself
Overview
Exploring the life of visionary conservationist, Alan Watson Featherstone; his restoration of Scotland's ancient Caledonian forest and 'Rewilding' as a model of restoration in the fight to save our broken planet.
Rating
6.0
/ 10
1 Reviews 0 Popular
1 Reviews
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CinemaSerf6 Mar 26, 2026This is quite an interesting documentary that takes a look at the opportunities to reverse some of the decline amidst the ancient Caledonian forests of Scotland. Using the long-term aspirations of ecologist Alan Watson Featherstone as a conduit and incorporating some beautiful cinematography of animal and plant life, we are presented with an hour in which an impassioned plea is made by conservationists, farmers and scientists for human beings to leave well alone and let nature do it’s own thing. This is clearly a labour of love for both Featherstone and for Danny and Caroline Strong who put the film together, but there is a great deal of talking and very little balance here that left me feeling rather lectured at than engaged with. It rather preaches to the converted, using the usual array of climate catastrophe superlatives, without trying to explain just why lynxes died out or why beavers were banned in the first place - though it does quite sensibly touch on the controversies around reintroducing apex predators versus the Bambi-fication of many animals whose culling would undoubtedly advance the healing of the land but would cause no end of consternation amongst the “aw bless” brigade. It appears to lay much of the blame for the current situation on the private landowning system without us ever talking to any of these individuals who have worked the land for generations and who might have explanations for their own actions or eco-policies, nor does it attempt to explain that the explosion of agriculture and sheep farming was as much driven by the need to feed malnourished Scots; that very few of these enterprises have ever proved profitable or that their very operation required a human resilience that is also determined. It’s similar in nature to “Wilding” (2019) as it clearly demonstrates the adaptability of nature when it’s left in peace, but there are too many sweeping, and often really quite simplistic, generalisations to provoke the levels of more substantial debate needed to change the minds of the urban population who have no idea that what they see on their weekend trip up the A82 isn’t a patch - or is only a patch - of what they could be enjoying. It is certainly worth a watch, but I would have preferred more balanced science and less emotional “people wouldn’t mind a wild lynx at the end of their garden” type of commentary.
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