Review of Project Wild Thing (2013) by Ben S — 24 Oct 2013

Filmmaker David Bond is concerned for the well-being of his own children and every child of their generation. Raised in front of screens he is worried to see a growing trend of kids having little or no interaction with nature or the outside, not just in terms of the nostalgic adventure of it all, but the proven mental and physical benefits of an active outdoor lifestyle for our development. Startlingly, children born today apparently have shorter life expectancies than their parents. So, with a harebrained scheme to 'sell' nature to the young as a product, he appoints himself 'Marketing Director of Nature' and sets about travelling the country meeting creatives, families and nature experts, learning more about the issues as he starts to build his campaign.

Beginning in a fairly smug and self-satisfied way it's easy to take against Bond and his playful quest to get his middle-class kids to play over Hampstead Heath with apps, branding and viral videos. His heart is very much in the right place, but it's initially pretty elitist, ignoring many of the wider issues. However as these topics surrounding technology and children's lifestyles are discussed and explored the documentary takes on more significance. Perhaps it isn't just kids' reluctance to play in the woods, but parents and a society that have put the outside world - and, more importantly, independence and the freedom to explore - off limits. Why would your instinct be to play outside when your only experience of nature is a sanitised walk round a nature reserve with your parents? Are the internet and video games the only way children can now experience the feelings of freedom and escape that once belonged to the parks and streets? With our society fixated on the wildly exaggerated headline grabbing threats of abduction and paedophiles it's no wonder parents want to keep their kids under constant supervision. But with no exploration or risk it's no surprise that this has taken another form.

'Project Wild Thing' is surprisingly evenhanded and as Bond's journey continues he is malleable enough to admit the failings of the project and is continually open to criticism and advice. This kind of openness is refreshing in a socially conscious documentary, a genre often militantly one-sided and preachy. His willingness to learn about the subject keeps us engaged as we share his journey - it's never massively revelatory, nor does it really achieve much, but the subject is an incredibly interesting one that deserves exploration.

Whilst clearly having a problem at the very core of the film - the branding of the whole of nature is an insurmountable task - below the frothy, lightweight surface it contains something honest and distressing about the world we now live in. Getting kids to go out scrumping for apples and frolicking in meadows can't be achieved with a few billboards: it belongs to another time. As Bond realises, future generations will experience the beauty of nature in increasingly different ways, and perhaps the answer is not to fret about the change but simply get out there and enjoy it.