BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO
DIRECTOR: JESSICA ORECK
US, 2009
In most of the Western world, bugs engender fear and avoidance, but in Japan, they are the object of deep fascination and honor. Oreck’s (an entomologist at the Museum of Natural History in New York) engaging film ponders the Japanese’s philosophic reverence for insects and their unique place in the culture. Along with capturing fireflies appearing on schedule at tourist sites, bug-hunters as they trap exotic species, insect fairs, and children delighting in newfound pets and vending machine toy replicas, Oreck explores Japanese history and aesthetics—textiles, architecture, gardening, brush painting, and haiku—reflecting centuries of highly refined appreciation for the tiny and the transient. An alternate perspective on beauty, nature, and life, BEETLE QUEEN is “splendid, enthralling, and fascinating ... a striking, utterly wonderful micro-masterpiece.”—The Austin Chronicle. (90 mins.)