REVIEW - Anopheles (Directed by Will Agee)

The documentary movie genre is typically considered to be represented by works which are factual, informative and educational; these are all fundamental requisites, and yet most of us do not normally associate documentaries with exceptional visual beauty - however, Anopheles directed by Will Agee (Crescite, Noori, Guerrera, The Land of High Mountains) and produced by Cam Goggins (Noori, Guerrera) not only tells an intricate, complicated and serious story extremely well, but it truly does so with striking cinematic splendor.

Award-winning documentary maker, and founder of Dulcinea Productions, Agee was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Saint Helena, California; he is also a graduate of Stanford University.

In 2016, Agee released his first documentary, a multi-award winning short, titled Crescite, which explores how the Napa Valley community worked together to create a more progressive environment for its farm workers.

Agee then began working on his debut feature documentary, The Land of High Mountains in 2017, which premiered at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2019 to wide acclaim, before its release on AppleTV in 2020.

Agee has since gone on to create the docuseries Guerrera which follows female soldiers working in Special Operations, serving in the United States' military.

Clearly, Dulcinea Productions and Agee have had no shortage of experience from which to hone their filmmakings skills and refine their flare for the art of storytelling - so it should come as no surprise that their latest effort, Anopheles not only tells a powerful and fascinating story, but is also jaw-droppingly stunning.

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation off the west coast of Central Africa, where Anopheles follows an international team of volunteers and scientists as they battle malaria in an effort to completely eliminate this lethal disease "once and for all".

Throughout the documentary beautiful cinematography is complimented by a multitude of fascinating and engaging talking heads. These amazing characters - the volunteers and scientists tirelessly working to shine a light on the ongoing race to keep ahead of malaria, as not only the disease parasite itself evolves, but also the mosquito - with both progressively developing resistances to the efforts of the scientists.

"It is not the strongest that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

One after another, the endearing characters each tell their own story, explaining their expertise and experience, and telling us how and why the fight against malaria has become their main priority and pursuit.

We learn that the work of these impassioned scientists is not solely confined to the lab, as the documentary follows them into the community where they dedicate significant resources and time to actively work with volunteers and locals, not only providing them with mosquito nets, but also supporting the community to raise their own awareness of the disease, as well as the preventative measures they can take.

This global effort now, through groundbreaking new discoveries and approaches, may also bring new hope - the possibility of stopping the spread of malaria using genetically-modified mosquitoes.

Raw, frank, serious, and emotive, Anopheles is perfectly shot, perfectly edited, and covers an exceptionally heavy and severe subject without becoming challenging or difficult to watch. Easy to follow, aided by the choice of music, clear subtitling, and gentle pacing - from start to finish Agee has given us an absolute masterclass in storytelling.

This inspiring story of ingenuity, perseverence, passion and teamwork is not just well-polished, it's network ready - and would not at all be out of place with a big broadcaster like National Geographic or Discovery.