Nutkin's Last Stand: Filmmaker Statement

I have always been attracted to documentary subjects that have such strong characters, visual coherence and metaphorical structures that they feel scripted. These subjects attract me because I am more interested in making morality tales than informational pieces. If a documentary feels like a fiction film we read it more like a fairy tale and less like a journalistic document, and the issues addressed become more universal in scope.

Nutkin's Last Stand provides a bit of information on the ecological issue of an invasive species but its real focus is on patriotism and morality. Like any good morality tale it reflects on the big questions: Under what circumstances is it okay to kill one thing to save another? What does it mean to be native/alien? Why do we tolerate some kinds of violence and not others? What does it mean to be a patriot?

And then there's all that cute footage of squirrels...

Nicholas Berger
Filmmaker, Nutkin's Last Stand