Prime Video (from 30 December)
Amazon Studios reportedly paid almost $20 million for the rights to聽, an astounding figure for a documentary on a streaming service, surpassed only for superstar portraits of Beyonce虂 and Billie Eilish.
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But while this documentary might be short on generation-defining pop icons, it does have stunning animals, breathtaking shots of the Peruvian rainforest and, perhaps unexpectedly, an unflinching insight into the effects of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
This condition is brought into focus by Harry Turner, a British ex-soldier emotionally damaged by the horrors he witnessed while serving in Afghanistan. He had headed into the heart of the Amazon jungle intending to kill himself, but instead found two reasons to live. One was Samantha Zwicker, a scientist and the resilient founder of an animal rehabilitation centre, who subsequently became both his professional and romantic partner. And the other was an injured ocelot cub (christened Keanu), who relies upon his care for its survival and eventual release into the wild.
First-time directors Melissa Lesh and Trevor Beck Frost spent around 180 days capturing Turner and Zwicker while also sharing their cramped and remote living quarters, imbuing Wildcat with a genuine warts-and-all intimacy. One minute, we see Turner and Zwicker making out like a couple of giggly schoolkids, the next we hear a distressing argument in which the former threatens to self-harm.
This is a nature documentary that is as interested in analysing human relationships as the bond between human and animal: a visit from Turner鈥檚 parents and amusingly unimpressed younger brother (鈥淚鈥檇 rather just go to Florida鈥�) halfway through also helps paint a fuller picture of the lost soul, while Zwicker鈥檚 recollections of her similarly troubled father explain her ability to deal with Turner鈥檚 more emotionally-damaging issues.
Of course, it is the footage of Turner and his spotted South American friend that is most likely to reel in the same voters who, last year, delivered an Oscar win for My Octopus Teacher. Be prepared: there are several harrowing moments, including a dramatic nighttime incident, shot on handheld camera, that looks like a scene from The Blair Witch Project. Expect to start advocating against the illegal poaching, logging and animal-trafficking trades once you have finished drying your eyes.
Thankfully, the film鈥檚 darker elements are interspersed with testaments to the healing power of life in perhaps the world鈥檚 greatest outdoors. Turner鈥檚 bond with the ocelot is a joy to watch, although the purpose of his 17-month mission to prepare Keanu for a release into the wild means that even this is tinged with bittersweetness. And the abundance of 鈥渁ww鈥� moments elsewhere 鈥� such as a rabbit with wheels for legs 鈥� not to mention the lush scenery, will have many viewers signing up to volunteer at Zwicker鈥檚 animal centre.
It is understandable why Amazon broke the bank.
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