The Serengeti Rules

Nicolas Brown’s visually rich and thought-provoking documentary profiles scientists from around the globe whose parallel experiments with different ecosystems led them to similar, surprising conclusions about the relationships between predator and prey and, by extension, the balance of life on our planet. The conclusion these disparate thinkers and experiments reach speaks to the essential role played by so-called “keystone species” in preserving the balance of an ecosystem and protecting it from collapse. To prove its thesis, Serengeti Rules traverses the Pacific Northwest, Peru, the Aleutian Islands, and the Serengeti, bringing to life the simple but groundbreaking discoveries these scientists have made throughout the last few decades. From sea otters and sea urchins to starfish and mussels to wildebeest and wild grass, the relationships between species outlined in Serengeti Rules offer both a sobering reminder of the fragile balance of life and hopeful glimpse of a better future. (Tribeca Film Festival)