72. Birds (Or How To be One); movie review

 

  

BIRDS (OR HOW TO BE ONE)

Cert TBA

80 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

"This film is not about birds, It's about us being crazy as loons.

"You put him in New York, squawking like a goose and you expect me... to understand what you are trying to say about birds and ancient comedy.

"Come on, Babis. I'm a customer here too. I need to understand. 

"I don't want to take psycho drugs before watching the film."

These words could have been my verdict on Birds (Or How To Be One) but were actually spoken by one of the movie's contributors during this bizarre documentary.

Their inclusion demonstrated that director Babis Makridis must have recognised how bewildering his movie is to those who are watching.

Initially, it seems as if Makridis is collecting the thoughts of individuals who would like to be birds and, in some cases, are insistent that they will be transformed into one.

As the movie progresses, it is almost as if he has changed tack and has decided to mock his own movie and its weird subject matter.

So, the contributions of the individual bird-obsessives become more bizarre to the point that they appear scripted.

These are complemented by a focus on a performance art theatre group which is involved in a very offbeat production about birds.

There are a heck of a lot of bird interpretations, people earnestly believing they are either birds or going to be them and others literally squawking in the streets.

What does it all mean?

I would doubt that Makridis knows but I am sure there are artists and film study students who are rubbing their chins in feverish debates about it.

I just wish I hadn't wasted 80 minutes of my life on it.

Reasons to watch: If you can see life through a different lens

Reasons to avoid: Even its contributors don't understand it

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 2/10

Did you know? Avian humanoids (people with the characteristics of birds) are a common motif in folklore and popular fiction, mainly found in Greek, Roman, Manipuri, Hindu and Persian mythology,

The final word. Babis Makridis: "Only with simplicity can cinema become a powerful narrative tool. The camera must be discreet and modest. Only then is the viewer open to the characters and the story."

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