+ Best Movie of the Year
+ Best Colombian Movie of the Year + Best Drug Movie of the Year + Best Poster of the Year + Most Under-Appreciated Movie of the Year
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| As if fronting a tapestry of mystery, spirituality, greed and death, this warm, depth-filled poster for Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra's Birds of Passage is a standout |
In 1960s Colombia, a traditional Indian Wayuu people embarks on a radical change, as a new husband to a young woman of the tribe endeavors on a lucrative trade of Marijuana with some visiting Yankees.
Birds of Passage is written by Maria Camila Arias (Candelaria (2017)) and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal (Anna (2015)) based on an idea from its directors, debuting co-producer/director Cristina Gallego (Cecilia (2012), producer) and Colombian master filmmaker Ciro Guerra (Embrace of the Serpent/El Abrazo de la Serpiente (2015)), whose 4th film it is.
Like Guerra's previous film Embrace of the Serpent, which Gallego also produced, Birds of Passage narrows in on the radical changes that Colombian peoples and culture has undergone in the 20th century, dictated by the onslaught of foreigners, finding of natural resources, human greed and violence. Whereas Serpent looked at the early part of the century along the Amazon river's rubber plantations and indigenous tribes, Birds of Passage begins around 1960 and trails the burgeoning drug industry's effect on another indigenous Indian people. It is, unlike the B/W of Serpent, shot in rich colors by David Gallego (I Am Not a Witch (2017)), and it also doesn't go down the spiritual, psychedelic route of that film.
Birds of Passage is a remarkable epos of the human condition; it is structured and plotted like an excellent gangster or western film, but it seems to transcend these genres and make something that is more comparable to a Greek myth: ancient and forever fresh, the filmmakers succeed in getting us intimately involved with their characters, while also zooming out from their portrait to such a degree where their existence as human 'birds of passage' (like us) becomes striking and profound. Miguel Schverdfinger's (Cesar Chavez (2014)) editing is perfect. And from the uniformly strong performances in the film, two should be singled out: Debuting film actor José Acosta's turn as the story's protagonist Rapayet, the local leader in the increasing Marijuana trade, but a leader who makes unsound and weak decisions at key moments, - yet who remains sympathetic through Acosta's great performance. And Carmiña Martínez (Dirty Habits/Hábitos Sucios (2003)) as Rapayet's forceful, decisive mother-in-law Úrsula, who can hear what is to be done, spoken by birds conveniently arriving in her vicinity.
When a film arrives from very far away and deals with old, strange and unfamiliar culture and traditions yet tells a story, which remains perfectly intelligible and somehow logical on every level throughout, it can be an immense joy to experience, especially if that film also has depth and something intelligent to say. Such a film is Birds of Passage.
Related posts:
Ciro Guerra: Top 10: Best drug-themed movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
2018 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Embrace of the Serpent/El Abrazo de la Serpiente (2015) - Guerra's Amazon meditation is a towering gift to us all (with Gallego producing)
Watch a clip from the film here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: In excess of 1 mil. $ and counting
= Uncertain (but likely a mega-flop)
[Birds of Passage premiered 9 May (Cannes Film Festival, Quinzane section) and runs 125 minutes. It was shot in Colombia. The film opened #56 to a 23k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #51 and in 10 theaters and grossed disappointing 101k $. So far North America is the 2nd biggest market for the film as made public yet. Biggest is its main production country Colombia with 831k $, followed as 3rd biggest by Norway with 35k $. It is poise to open in 4 more markets: Luxembourg, the Netherlands (7 March) and Romania (15 March) and France (10 April). Gallego doesn't have an upcoming directing project; Guerra returns with his first English-language project, Waiting for the Barbarians (2020), starring Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson. Birds of Passage is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.86/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Birds of Passage?
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