By José Alberto Hermosillo
Stunningly photographed and well-executed, “Drunken Birds” reveals the beliefs, actions, and passions of its three uniquely opposite characters with poetic regard across Canada and Mexico.
“Drunken Birds” centers its narrative on love, abandonment, and coming-of-age memories. Divided into three acts, like “Days of Heaven,” “Amores Perros,” and “Magnolia,” the Canadian production offers a compelling dramatization not far from reality.
Inspired by seasonal migrant workers in Canada, the film opens with a young man arriving at an apartment complex in Montréal, then shifts to a flashback in Mexico, where it shows a mansion with white tigers and other abandoned, unrestrained animals. Then, a portrait of a man who, more than a patriarch, is a drug lord. He is spending time in prison because someone betrayed him.
The place holds a secret: a love triangle in which Willi (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) falls for Narco’s wife, Marlena (Yoshira Escárrega). Fearing for their lives, the young lovers flee to Canada, each taking a different route.
At the Ferme, Vinet – one of the oldest agricultural centers outside Quebec – Willi, along with other seasonal workers, learns the rules and responsibilities of harvesting lettuce. Four years pass, and Willi still misses Marlena, the love of his life.
It is hard to forget a loved one, even in a tranquil oasis.
The story takes a dramatic turn when Willi crosses paths with Julie (Hélène Florent), the neglected owner of a Canadian farmhouse, and her precocious teenage daughter, Lea (Marine Johnson), who only wants to have fun in the city.
The complications are straightforward when their past confronts their present. Although the conundrum keeps us wondering about possible resolutions. Everything becomes chaotic when Lea’s silence implicates Willi in wrongdoing.
The brief flashbacks diffuse the story’s emotional context, but the imagery’s beauty holds the narrative well.
“Drunken Birds” is also inspired by the 2011 Mexican Oscar entry “Miss Bala.” The script details the countries where the stories occur: Mexico, Canada, and China.
The well-balanced cinematography is Sara Mishara’s responsibility. She accomplishes cinematic glory by splendidly capturing the “magic hour” lighting. Sara shot the project “Old School” with a 35mm camera. The film’s grain gave her the convenience of plenty of depth in long shots and enhanced the clarity of close-ups, giving the movie the desired “dreamlike style.”
According to its director, Ivan Grbovic, “the characters of this intriguing triptych have distinct personalities with multidimensional layers that are not necessarily likable, although their behaviors are driven by love, desire or curiosity.” He added, “In this puzzle, all the pieces do not always fall together, but they are equally important.”
The independent production has the potential for greatness despite limited resources, although the “bad hombres”’ entrance to the hacienda in Mexico needed better choreography. There are plenty of other films in which the tension is in sync with a festive atmosphere, as seen in local productions such as Luis Puenzo’s “Old Gringo,” Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet,” and Ruy Guerra’s “Eréndida.”
“Drunken Birds,” winner of Best Cinematography at the Philadelphia Film Festival, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as Canada’s Best International Feature Film entry for the 94th Academy Awards.
Willi’s noble heart compels him to help the needy, which is in his nature, even if it causes trouble with dramatic consequences in his immediate future. We have to remember that no one is guilty until proven otherwise, and no one is blameworthy until the truth comes out, but we are certainly not sure that will ever happen in fiction.
The filmmakers said that people in Canada associated the word “drunk” with love or joy, and birds with unity and migration. It is like a flock of birds moving together instinctively in complete freedom, just as we relate to the film’s characters’ stories effortlessly.
The climax of “Drunken Birds” or “Les Oiseaux ivres” occurs when the three stores converge at a single point. At that precise moment, justice is most urgently needed, yet the irony is that we cannot always get what we want in life, and we must remember that the greatest enemy of all is silence.
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