Where the Sweet Birds Sang

Where The Sweet Birds Sang examines how the chemicals we rely on to grow our food have consequences far beyond their intended use—shaping public health, environmental safety, and the lives of our loved ones. While this story originates in a singular love between a husband and wife, its implications reach far wider, raising questions that affect us all.

Filmmaker Sarah Teale (English, 1980) lives with her husband, Gordon Chaplin, in a farming community in upstate New York. When Gordon and an unusually high number of their neighbours were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Sarah began to question whether this troubling pattern could simply be coincidence.

This powerful and deeply moving documentary follows one couple’s personal story, investigating the link between pesticides and Parkinson’s—and asks urgent questions about the consequences for our health, our environment, and the people we love.