At first, all we see are leaves. Splotches of brown, yellow and red, floating atop the water, barely obscuring the reflection of trees scattered throughout the frame. The camera moves across the water as the flutter of birds chirping makes its way into our ears, but not long before another sound overtakes our senses; a mysterious combination of percussive and melodic texture fills the space. It practically invades the image on screen, even before it becomes the focus of the story itself. Oftentimes, the best function for documentaries is showing us the behind-the-scenes intricacies of our world that we might otherwise have never thought about beforehand. Case in point; the handpan drum, a fascinating instrument in and of itself, but whose construction, history, and place in the world today you might not have otherwise thought about before watching Manuela Hung’s Handpan Journey, a brief window into the life of Jenny Robinson, one of few handpan drummers on the planet, and one of even fewer people who constructs these dazzling instruments by hand themselves.  Running Isthmus Instruments in Madison, Wisconsin, Robinson leads us through the journey of how she fell in love with this instrument, how she entered the intimate league of people creating them, and how she found community with the tight-knit group of handpan players from around the world. We get glimpses at just how much work goes into constructing a handpan, the tools and methodology of perfecting this drum finding its way at the midpoint between art and science as Robinson works painstakingly at bringing this piece of soul-fulfilling instrumentation to life. It’s a brief, yet inspiring look into the life of someone discovering their passion, and Hung wisely keeps the focus on Robinson, her instrument, and that beautiful sound that unites them in this journey of artistic, technical, and creative exploration.