111. The Metamorphosis of Birds (A Metamorfose dos Pássaros); movie review
THE METAMORPHOSIS OF BIRDS (A METAMORFOSE DOS PÁSSAROS)
Cert U
101 mins
BBFC advice: Contains references to death
If ever there was a title which would put off potential audiences it is surely The Metamorphosis of Birds.
After more than an hour and a half, I remained baffled by what it meant or why it was chosen.
Catarina Vasconcelos has created the most languid of slow-burn movies - a film which relies almost entirely on love letters being read out loud.
They are between Beatriz, the director’s grandmother, and Henrique who she married on her 21st birthday.
Henrique is a naval officer who spends so much time at sea that he doesn't meet one of his children until she is four years old.
Thus, the relationship between the couple is played out through a lifetime of letters.
The film was inspired when Vasconcelos and her grandfather comforted each other on the death of her mother and his daughter.
He had already lost his beloved wife and instructs that their letters should be burned.
The family reluctantly comply but not before she commits them too film, with a narrative read by actors, accompanied by surreal imagery.
I have to admit that I found maintaining attention during The Metamorphosis of Birds difficult because there is need to concentrate on reading for such a long time.
The images which accompany the words seem to be at random and there is no stimulating action.
To be honest, I thought there would have been better ways to bring love letters to the big screen and their message was weakened by director's pre-occupation with artistic presentation.
The words are powerful but are read without much dramatic inflection - consequently, they lulled me into the land of nod.
Reasons to watch: If you are into poetry on screen
Reasons to avoid: Sleep-inducing
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10
Did you know? According to latest statistics, Portugal has 1,238 seafarers and 675 ships which sail under its national flag.
The final word. Catarina Vasconcelos: It took me six years to make this film. I started with something personal, with my family, and then I got quite concerned – I didn’t want it to be just some family story that no one else could connect to. I come from fine arts, and suddenly, I started to have all these visions, taking me back to paintings, for example. You know when you are completing a jigsaw puzzle and all of these elements start to come together? That’s how it happened here, in a very weird way.' Cineuropa
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