Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1187474
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 NOVEMBER 2019 CULTURE ENVIRONMENT could have been wilfully and memorably disturbing into a postcard-friendly slideshow that does the over-arching mood no favours. Thankfully, things are kept very much afloat thanks to Alicia Vikander's perfor- mance: a brittle one, but also a woman-on-the-verge-of- a-nervous-breakdown pow- der keg that is compelling to watch. If the actual plot developments don't keep us on our toes, wanting to know what happens to this afflicted creature certainly does – we root for her even as we sus- pect that the damage being done is not just self-destruc- tive on her part, but also de- structive, period. EARTHQUAKE BIRD RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE SHAKE IT OFF THE CRACKS APPEAR EVACUATE, NOW! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ And they're back! For the coming winter our wetland re- serves – plus a few bays and harbours – will be home to the graceful grebes. Grebes are accomplished diving birds and three species occur in Maltese waters, the most frequent be- ing the black-necked grebe (M. blonġun sekond). Walking around a creek you may, with some luck, spot one or two bob- bing among the boats and diving for small fish but by far the best place to see them is in our protected wetland reserves at Għadira, Is-Simar and Salina. At these sites the grebes find the right habitat, plenty of fish and other water creatures, and rela- tively safe haven. Grebes are lake and river birds, many spend- ing their life at the same site. But where winters are too cold and savage, like in northern and eastern Europe, they fly south to spend winter in the milder Mediterranean, where lakes do not freeze and the land doesn't all turn white. Text: Victor Falzon - Photo: Aron Tanti 687. BLACK-NECKED GREBE Not-so-fast friends: Alicia Vikander (right) and Riley Keough are Western expats making their way through late-80s Tokyo in Wash Westmoreland's adaptation of Susanna Jones' award-winning novel Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 585: Find out more on our website www.foemalta.org/goodfood The verdict Though its psychological under- currents throb with an almost au- dible potential, Earthquake Bird gets more out of a strong central performance from Alicia Vi- kander and the undeniable allure of its stunningly evoked setting than it does out of how the nar- rative proceeds. Awkward where it should have been rewardingly unsettling, Wash Westmore- land's adaptation of the award- winning Susanna Jones novel makes for a passably good watch that comes laced with a frustrat- ing aftertaste owing to the ocean- loads of missed potential visible right on the horizon. Earthquake Bird is currently streaming on Netflix ★ ★ EARTHQUAKE BIRD (16+)