The lyrics for Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” say it all:
“Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright"
Only the birds in this documentary are not Caribbean yellow birds but California hummingbirds. And they are going to be all right because of the dedication, skill, and compassion for the little beings of wildlife rehabilitator Terry Masear. Director Sally Aitken takes us to Terry’s hillside home in Beverly Hills filled with different size cages for rescued hummingbirds and a large outdoor aviary which will be their last home before rerelease into the wild. Close-up and slow-motion photography give us unusual angles on the birds, who can fly vertically, backwards, and upside down.
Many of Terry’s birds are fledglings who have fallen out of a nest and been found by humans. Others, like Cactus, are injured from an accident; he fell into a cactus and has spines stuck in him. One bird, named Sugar Baby, has been abused when children played with him and doused him with sugar water. Terry carefully tries to clean him with a Q-tip. We watch as she encourages a bird to exercise their wings by moving a perch up and down in their cage.
Without anthropomorphizing the hummingbirds, Aitken shows how their healing parallels Terry’s own healing from childhood abuse. Her nonprofit has become a center for love, compassion, and reverence. After watching, you won’t look at hummingbirds the same again.