Life… uh, finds a way.” Jurassic Park’s Dr Ian Malcolm always knew nature would win out. But even he might be impressed with what happens when you give it a helping hand – as Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell have done at their Knepp Estate.

There aren’t any dinosaurs on the Sussex grounds, but the introduction of ancient breeds of cattle, pigs and ponies 25 years ago – when the couple stopped farming the “depleted” land, and began their rewilding efforts – have helped create an astonishing landscape, rich with animal and plant life.

It’s beautifully brought to the screen in Wilding (in cinemas now), based on Tree’s book of the same name. We see recreations of the pair selling their farming equipment and embarking upon their “experiment”, but the bulk of the film is dedicated to showing us the extraordinary effects of their nature-first approach. We get everything from how pigs (shown adorably making leafy blankets for their young) help grow insect populations, to a clever illustration of the recovery of the soil’s fungal networks. Beavers, storks, butterflies and turtledoves thrive.

The film touches on opposition the couple have faced. Local farmers worried that cattle-threatening weeds could prosper, while others pointed out that rewilding won’t feed the nation.

While these points are acknowledged, they aren’t entirely dealt with (a miraculous blossom of butterflies took out some nasty creeping thistle in 2009). It’s also unclear how or if the venture makes money – beyond some vague references to “government support” – and we don’t see much of the “management” of the animals that is briefly referred to.

But perhaps those are issues addressed more thoroughly in Tree’s book. The film provides a hopeful, inspiring look at the power of nature.

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