Fly Away Home (1996)

Directed by: Carroll Ballard | 107 minutes | drama, adventure, family | Actors: Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany, Terry Kinney, Holter Graham, Jeremy Ratchford, Deborah Verginella, Michael J. Reynolds, David Hemblen, Ken James, Nora Ballard, Sarena Paton, Carmen Lishman, Christi Hill, Judith Orban

A film about children and animals always manages to strike a chord with people. Children are honest and sincere and, in our view, have done little wrong in their lives, so that they have immediately won the sympathy of the viewer. Animals are also innocent creatures that are often terrorized by humans. After all, man is the greatest enemy of animals. If a film is about a young girl who befriends a group of geese, success is almost guaranteed.

The story of ‘Fly Away Home’ didn’t just come out of the blue. It is based on Bill Lishman’s autobiography. This fact adds an extra dimension to the already moving subject. Because we love emotional stories but when they are based on the truth we love them even more. Things are not going well for thirteen-year-old Amy. She loses her mother in an accident and she has to live with her father, whom she hasn’t seen for years and doesn’t know herself well, in Canada. She has few friends and is not accepted at school. When she finds a nest of goose eggs in a barn, she takes care of the eggs. Especially when she sees that bulldozers are breaking down the forest, she wants to protect these eggs at all costs. When the geese are born, they see Amy as a kind of mother. She finally has something to throw herself into and seems to be getting happier by the day because of her geese. Despite some clashes with her father about whether or not to keep the geese, she eventually succeeds in raising the geese. Her father sees that this is what really makes Amy happy and decides to help her. But then the time comes when the geese have to start flying for the great migration to the South. Can Amy teach her geese to fly in time? And will she ever see her ‘children’ again?

The story moves from the first minute. Father Jeff Daniels is very believable as Outback Tom. From one day to the next, he has a daughter that he has not taken into account at all. He also has no idea how to raise her but every day he seems to love Amy a little more. Anna Paquin also plays the role of the insecure teenage girl Amy very well. The father-daughter love between the two turns out to be unconditional. A friendship between an animal and a child is not new in film land. But that a girl can love her animals so much and really take care of them as a mother is new. That something as small as finding a nest of goose eggs can have such an impact on the happiness and life of a young girl is very special. Even if you’re not much of an animal lover or don’t like sugary drama, this film will impress. The magic word is sincerity. And that is what this film radiates from start to finish.