Birds of Passage [Pájaros de verano] **** (2018, José Acosta, Natalia Reyes, Carmiña Martínez) – Movie Review

José Acosta stars as marijuana trafficker Rapayet, who gives an enormous dowry to marry into an indigenous remote northern Colombian family, who then get deeper and deeper into an all-out war to control the drugs business. Rapayet marries Zaida (Natalia Reyes) but comes up against the monster mother-in-law Úrsula (Carmiña Martínez), who comes on like a New World Godmother. But she is not his only adversary by any means.

Directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra’s Birds of Passage [Pájaros de verano] is a slow burn at the start, but it builds and builds to its extraordinary, devastating climax that ends up affecting everybody’s lives and culture.

The acting is impeccable, the story engrossing and the direction often inspired, but it is the poetic handling of the material that delivers the real punch, mixing with the powerful gangster story surprisingly well, so it works on both levels. It is all there in the screenplay by Maria Camila Arias and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal. The cinematography (by David Gallego) is glorious, exploring this remote corner of the world where time has almost stood still and spiritual values are traditionally stronger than any other – that is until marijuana trafficking and greed and monetary values set in and destroy the old culture and values.

The gangster film as an art movie – well why not ? Food for thought, as well as a banquet for the emotions, Birds of Passage has a haunting bitter-sweet flavour – though mainly bitter – leaving a strong after-taste.

Birds of Passage [Pájaros de verano] is Colombia’s official submission to the Foreign Language Film Award of the 91st Oscars 2019.

Birds of Passage is a nominee as Best Film in the Official Competition at the 2018 London Film Festival. It has similar concerns to another nominee, Sunset. Either might stand a good chance of winning.

Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra are the producer and director of the 2015 Embrace of the Serpent.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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