Every Little Thing

They say the measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. We could reverse engineer the idea and arrive at another perhaps obvious, though rarely stated (and even more rarely practiced) truth: that healing a society, maybe even a civilization, begins with healing its most vulnerable members. That thought runs through one’s mind while watching Sally Aitken’s Every Little Thing, a documentary as delicately beautiful as its subjects — the hummingbirds of Los Angeles and the woman who has made it her life’s mission to care for them.

The documentary about a Los Angeles woman who has made it her life’s mission to rehabilitate injured hummingbirds has a gentle sweetness that feels like a balm. Terry Masear, the subject of writer-director Sally Aitken’s film, has a no-nonsense demeanor, but her affection for these tiny creatures is unmistakable. 

The birds would seem to be the stars of director Sally Aitken's Every Little Thing, a documentary about an independent hummingbird rescue in Hollywood run by one determined woman. She's Terry Masear, a retired teacher who seems to have educated herself on everything one would need to or could know about hummingbirds. She has been rescuing the tiny creatures since 2004 without any pay for her work. Yes, the birds are special, but Masear isn't too far behind them.

All of this is captured in Sally Aitken’s beautiful documentary Every Little Thing, which aims not only to hold a magnifying glass to the small birds most people rarely think about but also to understand why caring for these creatures can make better people of us all.

Sally Aitken’s documentary “Every Little Thing” literally generates buzz, and both those with a fondness for hummingbirds and those who never much thought about them are bound to be enchanted by its depiction of these tiny, fragile creatures.

“It’s a hard world for small things,” says Lillian Gish’s Rachel Cooper in The Night of the Hunter. Those words come to mind while watching Sally Aitken’s modestly informative and gently profound Every Little Thing about a Los Angeles-based hummingbird rescue. If there’s any fault to be found in this aptly titled documentary (here, the concern for the minuscule extends to the film’s title being spelled in lower-case letters), it’s that it doesn’t exactly benefit from its formulaic voiceover and other supplementary audio. The footage of hummingbirds—usually in slow motion—is intrinsically commanding and in little need of buttressing, particularly with adjectives that fall far short of the images they accompany.

The most amazing thing about the recurring slow-motion sequences of hovering hummingbirds in Every Little Thing is the stillness of their tiny heads, even as their wings flap and their little bodies shift in air. As Terry Masear tells us, among other remarkable things, the wings of a hummingbird flap fifty times per second. She rightly asks, how can you know this and not tap into some magical realism? It might be said that those who do tap into magical realism in our world have much of it in themselves. This would apply to Terry, herself quite magical, one of those extraordinary people who actually devote their lives to what other people can only think about doing.

There are two species of birds that always leave me awe-struck when I see them in person. One is the majestic bald eagle, a large bird of prey, and the other is the hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world. My love of hummingbirds is just one of the many reasons why I absolutely loved twice Emmy-nominated director Sally Aitken’s EVERY LITTLE THING, which is opening Friday after competing in the US Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The film tells the deeply personal story of scientist Terry Masear who has made it her life’s work to nurse wounded and sick hummingbirds back o health at her hummingbird sanctuary in Hollywood, CA. It is amazing to watch her take care of these tiny, beautiful birds with such empathy and love, even giving them names, sometimes related to their injuries. We meet baby Jimmy, who fell out of his nest and Cactus, a hummingbird who has flown into a cactus plant and was found with thorns stuck in her back. Throughout the film we also learn about Terry’s life and how her childhood trauma led her on a path of healing by taking care of these fragile and vulnerable creatures, stating in the film, “Their lives depend on me.”

Along with the fascinating story of a woman’s symbiotic relationship with these tiny birds, EVERY LITTLE THING is a cinematically stunning film with incredible closeups of hummingbirds and breathtaking time lapse photography of exotic, colorful flowers. Kudos to the photographic team! The soundtrack is especially pleasing, setting the scene at the beginning with the classic “It Never Rains in Southern California” and ending with Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” often referred to as “Every Little Thing is Gonna Be Alright” while the credits roll. I highly recommend seeing this film! 

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists highlights movies made by and about women. With a vigilant eye toward current releases, we maintain an interactive record of films that are pertinent to our interests. Be they female-made or female-centric productions, they are films that represent a wide range of women’s stories and present complex female characters. As such, they are movies that will most likely be reviewed on AWFJ.org and will qualify for consideration for our annual EDA Awards, celebrating exceptional women working in film behind and in front of the camera. 

Exclusive: Sally Aitken’s delicate, immensely touching documentary “Every Little Thing" follows hummingbird rescuer (and real-life hero) Terry Masear through a season of saving some of our most delightful creatures.

For nearly a year, a series of names have buzzed around my brain like so many tiny birds: Cactus. Wasabi. Larry Bird. How are they? What are they doing? Where are they? Spend any amount of time with Sally Aitken’s delicate, immensely touching documentary “Every Little Thing,” and you’ll fall to the same obsessions and curiosities.

Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Every Little Thing, Sally Aitken’s documentary about a hummingbird rehabilitator that premiered in Sundance and has gone on to play multiple festivals including CPH:DOX.

Sally Aitken’s latest documentary is a miraculous, astonishing glimpse into the work of Terry Masear at her Los Angeles hummingbird rehab center. 

The rare film that can work as both education tool and emotional experience.

Inspired by Terry Masear’s book about her work with the world's smallest birds, Sally Aitken’s documentary follows her during a busy caretaking season in Los Angeles.

You probably don’t love hummingbirds as much as Terry Masear does, but the exceedingly graceful, beautifully photographed documentary Every Little Thing will help change that.

There is an especially delightful, humble, rejuvenating documentary film that recently premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival that is all about hummingbirds. 

A celebration of some of our tiniest and most magical creatures

Serene footage of hummingbirds mid-flight make Every Little Thing worth screening. The story of the woman who cares for these adorable creatures is another good reason to see it.