The Catholic Weekly 19 April 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 21 19, April, 2020 VISTA WILL BE TAKING A SHORT BREAK ... But watch this page for more interesting news locally and from around the world Ex-duchess voices nature documentary IsMrsWindsor’snarrationhalf the interest factor in thischarmingstudyof elephants? ADJUSTING TO her new non-royal life and returning to her entertainment roots, Meghan Markle, aka the Duchess of Sussex, narrates “Elephant.” The charming, delightful 90-minute docu- mentary streams now on Dis- ney+. Mark Linfield and Vanessa Berlowitz directed the film, which Linfield and David Fowler wrote. Parents may need to guide younger chil- dren through the deaths and predatory animal behaviour depicted. But “Elephant” is free of anything objectionable and thus suitable for all ages. Markle’s warm and enthu- siastic storytelling will appeal to viewers as they follow a herd of Kalahari elephants on their annual migration across 350,000 square miles of southern African desert. These pachyderms “spend most of the year searching for food and water,” she tells us. To emphasize a diversity of experiences and perspectives, the documentarians high- light three elephants’ stories. After her sister, 50-year-old Gaia, four-decade-old Shani, we learn, is “the oldest and wisest” member of the herd. Shani must constantly keep an eye on her 1-year-old son Jomo, who’s “a handful.” As the group’s matriarch, Gaia “is a force to be reck- oned with and a powerful role model for the entire herd.” Where “she leads, the herd will follow.” The pack’s journey begins at an “especially joyous sea- son” in the Okavango Delta. That’s because, as viewers later find out, water travels 600 miles and drains into the delta, creating an oasis in one of the more arid locations on the entire planet. When this evanescent par- adise reverts to dust, Gaia instinctually leads her fold to the Zambezi River. As the filmmakers note, these are the “last animals on earth still able to make these epic mi- grations.” And they need to “roam vast distances to sur- vive.” Two months pass before the herd drinks water again. They find food and shelter at an island near the Zambe- zi. But, as with much of their journey, reaching there is per- ilous. Navigating the river’s “ferocious current,” moreover, involves the risk of being pro- pelled over a nearby tourist attraction, the spectacularly beautiful -- yet, for the ele- phants, potentially deadly -- Victoria Falls. The return trip to the delta is still more fraught. With the water flowing back to the Oka- vango more rapidly than usu- al, Gaia intuits that her charg- es must take the most direct path back, which puts them in increased danger from attack by lions. The ordinarily ram- bunctious and fearless Jomo is especially vulnerable. Martyn Colbeck and Mike Holding’s astonishingly in- timate cinematography im- merses the audience into the world they capture. And view- ers will likely come to identi- fy with the majestic animals on screen as if they were old friends. Thus they will revel with the elephants as they swim in the delta, and Jomo’s antics will raise a smile. “Elephant” also has its touching moments, as when Gaia patiently frees a young calf drowning in mud. And the demise of one of the herd from hunger and stress will probably move viewers deeply. The documentary is educa- tional as well as emotionally engaging. Elephants, we’re in- formed, are social animals, for whom “family is everything.” They can eat 600 pounds of leaves daily -- the equivalent, according to the filmmakers, of 2,500 cheeseburgers. Layers of mud on the animals’ hides serves as sunscreen. And their gestation period lasts two years. With families remaining indoors to stop the spread of disease, parents looking for programming that can be en- joyed across the generations will find that “Elephant” -- at once diverting, edifying and poignant -- fits the bill. ¾ ¾ Chris Byrd ELEPHANT STREAMING ON DISNEY + Book Review Biggest subject of all YOU WOULDN’T think it possible to get the Al- mighty compacted into 142 pages, yet this is what Elizabeth Klein has done, without presumption. “God” is the second book from the assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute in Denver – her first was Augustine’s Theology of Angels in 2018 – and the third in the Ignatius Press series ‘What Every Catho- lic Should Know’. The result is a well-de- livered lecture for the laity that doesn’t simply cite the catechism and Scripture, but illuminates them as well. Klein isn’t out to invent any radically new paths to knowledge, but instead cast reassur- ing explanations. She knows she’s tack- ling the seemingly impos- sible, so she explains the big picture thoroughly without side paths into arcane arguments. She’s also extremely calm – a huge benefit. Klein knows God cannot be debated into existence, but can be ex- plained to those whose hearts and minds are open, taking the view of St Augustine that theology is “faith seeking under- standing.” Klein has produced a useful work that can di- rect readers to more de- tailed theological expla- nations in order to build their faith. - CNS The documentary is educational as well as emotionally engaging. Elephants, we’re informed, are social animals, for whom ‘family is everything.’” GOD: WHAT EVERY CATHOLIC SHOULD KNOW, BY ELIZABETH KLEIN, IGNATIUS PRESS 2019, 142 PAGES The narrator used to be a princess.A scene from Elephants, a delightful new documentary now streaming. PHOTO: CNS/DREAMWORKSANIMATION ENTERTAINMENT