May 2, 2025
FILM: EVERY LITTLE THING
DIRECTED BY: SALLY AITKEN
STARRING: TERRY MASEAR
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I probably lived in the Chicago suburbs for years before I realized how obsessed some of my neighbors were with hummingbirds. Since I didn’t have a bird feeder, I wasn’t really aware of them and they didn’t come around the house. In the last several years though their presence has fascinated me. So, as I’ve recently documented in my Palangeau Park series, I bought not only a bird feeder but another that is said to attract hummingbirds. I saw my first one of the year in the yard this week. The way they buzz around and move in unusual ways, sometimes in a holding pattern in the air, is something to behold. So, I thought now would be a good time to talk about the documentary Every Little Thing (a bad and not really revealing title), which screened at the Sundance Film Festival and is currently available on Amazon Prime.
The film, which is partially inspired by a book she wrote on the subject, features hummingbird rehabber Terry Masear who lives in a large mansion in Los Angeles and has developed a hotline for people to call if they find an injured hummingbird. Some are brought to her home where she tends to them for however long it takes for them to be rehabilitated and freed back into the wild. She has a series of cages and techniques she uses to care for and clean them. Masear refers to this part of her home as the “ICU for hummingbirds.”
Masear is an interesting character herself. It is slowly revealed that she was abused as a child and had recently lost her husband of over thirty years. She has a very nurturing and motherly quality when it comes to birds. She talks to them and gives them names. These become the “personalities” we follow throughout the film. It’s a little strange at times listening to her speak to them as if they were children or family pets. Can these birds really understand her? Is she projecting human emotions onto them? We can never know but she does do an amazing job caring for those that still have some life left in them.
The big selling point of this film, particularly for anyone who is fascinated by nature, is the cinematography. These often fast-moving birds are captured with multiple lenses and slow speeds so that we can view them in ways we’d never be able to in our own backyards. They are really quite brilliantly and beautifully captured.
Also included is footage from Masear’s own personal collection of photos and home movies. These are often intercut, somewhat mysteriously, with archival footage of farms and horses. There are also beautiful shots of blooming flowers but it’s not clear why some of these images are necessary within the context of the film.
I would have liked to see more science brought into the discussion. Questions never really explored include: How long do hummingbirds live? How many different species are there? Do they hear? What is the makeup of their anatomy? Why do they fly so close to our faces?!
In the end this is mostly a story of Terry Masear and her dedication to these wounded birds. It is not the be and end all of documentaries about hummingbirds but it does show the love and care one person takes to allow them to thrive after injuries and abuse.
I definitely feel I know a bit more about hummingbirds and welcome them in my yard. To quote Seals and Crofts, “Hummingbird don’t fly away, fly away!”
Every Little Thing is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.
FILM: EVERY LITTLE THING
DIRECTED BY: SALLY AITKEN
STARRING: TERRY MASEAR
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I probably lived in the Chicago suburbs for years before I realized how obsessed some of my neighbors were with hummingbirds. Since I didn’t have a bird feeder, I wasn’t really aware of them and they didn’t come around the house. In the last several years though their presence has fascinated me. So, as I’ve recently documented in my Palangeau Park series, I bought not only a bird feeder but another that is said to attract hummingbirds. I saw my first one of the year in the yard this week. The way they buzz around and move in unusual ways, sometimes in a holding pattern in the air, is something to behold. So, I thought now would be a good time to talk about the documentary Every Little Thing (a bad and not really revealing title), which screened at the Sundance Film Festival and is currently available on Amazon Prime.
The film, which is partially inspired by a book she wrote on the subject, features hummingbird rehabber Terry Masear who lives in a large mansion in Los Angeles and has developed a hotline for people to call if they find an injured hummingbird. Some are brought to her home where she tends to them for however long it takes for them to be rehabilitated and freed back into the wild. She has a series of cages and techniques she uses to care for and clean them. Masear refers to this part of her home as the “ICU for hummingbirds.”
Masear is an interesting character herself. It is slowly revealed that she was abused as a child and had recently lost her husband of over thirty years. She has a very nurturing and motherly quality when it comes to birds. She talks to them and gives them names. These become the “personalities” we follow throughout the film. It’s a little strange at times listening to her speak to them as if they were children or family pets. Can these birds really understand her? Is she projecting human emotions onto them? We can never know but she does do an amazing job caring for those that still have some life left in them.
The big selling point of this film, particularly for anyone who is fascinated by nature, is the cinematography. These often fast-moving birds are captured with multiple lenses and slow speeds so that we can view them in ways we’d never be able to in our own backyards. They are really quite brilliantly and beautifully captured.
Also included is footage from Masear’s own personal collection of photos and home movies. These are often intercut, somewhat mysteriously, with archival footage of farms and horses. There are also beautiful shots of blooming flowers but it’s not clear why some of these images are necessary within the context of the film.
I would have liked to see more science brought into the discussion. Questions never really explored include: How long do hummingbirds live? How many different species are there? Do they hear? What is the makeup of their anatomy? Why do they fly so close to our faces?!
In the end this is mostly a story of Terry Masear and her dedication to these wounded birds. It is not the be and end all of documentaries about hummingbirds but it does show the love and care one person takes to allow them to thrive after injuries and abuse.
I definitely feel I know a bit more about hummingbirds and welcome them in my yard. To quote Seals and Crofts, “Hummingbird don’t fly away, fly away!”
Every Little Thing is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.