Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1216530
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2020 9 FILM ENVIRONMENT at his beck and call at all times, and chastising Emma for her often manipulative and some- times downright misguided attempts at match-making. In- deed, the nasty side of Emma's social hobby comes to a head when she offers bad advice to her vulnerable new friend Har- riet Smith (Mia Goth), whose unfortunate family background puts her in a lower social rung to Emma and her peers. We're allowed to take naugh- ty pleasure in Emma's gentle skewering of the more preten- tious aspects of her social circle, but at the same time we're root- ing for the better angels of her nature to pull through before she hurts the ones who don't deserve the puncturing power of her cruel gaze and crueller tongue. This does, of course, come to pass, and Catton and de Winter cleverly split the mood down the middle – with its first half devoted to witty fun and games – with staging and choreography that would not be out of place on an opera stage – and the second allowing for the deeper affective keynotes to shine through. Both Taylor-Joy and Flynn weather the moods like true champs, the latter emerging as the kind of paragon of stoic virtue that makes the best of Austen's male characters so eminently swoonable. LOVE & FRIENDSHIP LOVE & MARRIAGE LOVE & OTHER DEMONS LOVE & DRUGS LOVE IS PAIN ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Spring bird migration is already under way, if not yet in full swing. One of the earlier birds of prey that turn up is the marsh harrier. The marsh harrier (M. bagħdan aħmar) belongs to a group of rap- tors that birdwatchers refer to as broadwings, so called because of their large span and wide wings. This large surface area spread out like two beach towels end to end is ideal for catching warm air rising from the ground, which lifts the bird to great heights. The marsh harrier then glides in the direction it chooses without as much as a wingbeat. Thanks to this trick the bird can travel large distances without tiring itself out. To see marsh harriers and other raptors pop over to Buskett, find a spot with a clear view of the sky, and look up regularly. A pair of binoculars would help a lot, and if you can join a group of BirdLife watchers, all the better. Text: Victor Falzon Photo: Aron Tanti 701. MARSH HARRIER 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 597 Find out more and act now: www.foemalta.org/goodfood The verdict Witty and impeccably paced, Autumn de Winter and Elea- nor Catton's take on Jane Aus- ten's 1815 classic doesn't rein- vent the wheel so much as give it a good spit-polish before sending it on its merry way. Bolstered by an impressively on-point performance from Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role and gorgeously shot by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, it ticks all the right period drama boxes without succumbing to blandness. EMMA (U) ★ ★ ★ ★ Drop in the ocean: Stewart It was badly done, Emma: Johnny Flynn