Big Island of Hawaii

A Paradise Lost starts with a shocking murder, but it’s not a whodunnit. It’s a tale of myths and magic, of passing time and inevitable “progress,” of legal maneuvers and moral justice, of humans vs. nature — and nature vs. nature. It’s a documentary that is whimsical and pedantic, spiritual and practical. The paradise of the title is Hawaii, specifically the Big Island of Hawaii, home to the volcano Mauna Kea and a small bird called a palila. With a vibrant yellow head and neck, a white belly and gray wings, the palila is noted for the beauty of its plumage and its song. It’s also an endangered species.