Butterfly

Documentarian Doug Wolens showcases the crusade of Julia Butterfly Hill, who spent two years perched 180 feet up in an ancient redwood tree to focus attention on the plight of California’s old-growth forests. Like Hill, the film is amiably voluble without being particularly articulate, ardent yet unfocused. Wolens features comments by Hill’s family, spokespeople for the timber industry and the California Department of Forestry, and Earth First!ers with names like Spruce, Forest, Alicia Littletree and Nancy Four Winds. There are some interesting insights into the logistics and support system for Butterfly’s tree-sit, but Wolens wanders aimlessly from face to face, never quite shaping his story. A 53-minute version that appeared on PBS last year was much stronger than this 80-minute feature.