Microcosmos

The small world of insects never looked so big as in Claude Nuridsany & Marie Pérennou’s remarkable nature documentary depicting the comings and goings of those little creatures we either swat away or avoid like the plague. Over the course of three years and without any computer-generated effects, Nuridsany and Pérennou employed close-ups, slow-motion photography, and a lot of patience to vividly capture all types of insects as they play, fight, eat, work, love, and, simply, live. Snails, praying mantises, beetles, or spiders may not look any cuter under their microscope, but the vividness of each sequence suggests how similar their ecosystem is to ours.

Print courtesy of the Institut Français and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy NY.

Ages 6 and up: vivid sequences of animals may appear frightening to some children.