Parents' Guide to Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey

Like her previous film, My Octopus Teacher, director Ehrlich creates an emotionally moving, visually stunning world where a man experiences personal growth through his contact with the animal world. In this case, the animal is the miniature dinosaur-like pangolin, and the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of one of these nearly extinct creatures forms the narrative arc of Pangolin: Kulu's Journey. The wildlife reserve where much of the film takes place is a gorgeous location teeming with life, including big game caught on camera, and marked by bright sun and orange-tinged sunsets.

As Octopus was also about the magical underwater world, this film is also about Africa, in its way. The main character is a South African man whose work with the pangolin allows him to be openly emotional and vulnerable, overcoming gender expectations he was raised with. His "helicopter parenting" of his baby pangolin results in some very tender moments. He works with a local biologist who says young people in Africa now need to be taught the realities of environmental sustainability rather than the myths of ancient cultures. Even so, a soulful voice-over bookending the film explains the pangolin's place as a mystical creature. It all adds up to a meaningful and moving film.