Birdboy: The Forgotten Children

I recently was lucky to grab a seat in it's limited English release in NYC and I'm very glad I went out of my way to watch it. NYC theaters are loud and responsive, it spoke well of this film that the audience grew quiet and attentive 20 minutes in. While the film has it's comedy and of course features solely animated animals, it reaches amazing depths and tells a fully entertaining and visually captivating story. There is nothing immature or young about this film. The animation is wonderful and feels wholly original without shoving style into your face. The writing is superb and crisp, never feeling heavy handed nor childish. Each character has its own story, even if you don't get to see it, you feel their story through their design and dialogue. I was amazed to learn this was the two directors first feature length film, and while it is based on Vasquez's own comic (which explains their talent in story telling and character development) the ability to translate the story to a fully engaging film. I'm very excited to see what comes out of this team in the future.

The movie although with a false kid friendly imagery gives you a crushing blow about society. It makes good questions about our lives and how we destroy ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally, and also what surround us. You see each character battling their demons and fears, especially the lead character birdboy, who doesn't even speak, with every emotion coming from the animation simple but very creative. You can see the passion that took making each scene. For me it's one of the best animated movies in recent years.

This movie blew me away. Very dark, creative, and shocking. I've seen this one twice, and would gladly watch it again. Check it out.

A strange and weird cartoon movie dealing with three chilldren : Dinki , Sara and Zorrito leave their home to embark on a better life throughout a bizarre World at an isolated island after a nuclear apocalypse that caused a serious damage environmental. Along the way , another boy , Birdboy who never talks , is being pursued by two guard men wielding rifles . No everything with a body is alive.

This is a very rare and offbeat movie with a traditional as well as naif animation. It is a sui-generis film with plenty of fantasy , adventure , ecological message and disturbing , at times . The film is really influenced by the Japanese Anime and especially by the fantastic atmosphere created by Hayao Miyazaki in Mononoke Princess and others as Chihiro or My neighbour Tororo . The movie is developed with high sensibility and sense of wonder , though isn't apt for little boys . It is more adequate a rating PG : Parents Guide than a children film , due to contain graphic violence , horror moments , bloody attacks , strong fights , and some creepy animals . A decent film based on the comic books by Alberto Vazquez who was director assistant as well . Adding an enjoyable musical score and colorful cinematography accompanying appropiately the story's development .

The picture produced by prestigious actor Luis Tosar , among others , being original and competently written/directed by Pedro Rivero and Alberto Vazquez . It won several Nominations and Awards, such as : Cinamia 2016 winner Festival Feature Film to Pedro Rivera , Alberto Vazquez . Fantasia Film Festival 2016 winner Best Animated Feature . Faro Island Film Festival 2015 winner Grand Jury Prize . Goya Awards 2017 Best Animation Film : ZircoZine , Basque Films , Abrakan Estudio, Competencia Productiones . Monterrey International Film Festival winner Graveyard Shift Competition . The Platino Awards for Iberoamerican Cinema 2017 winner best film. ToHorror Film Festival Italy 2016 Best Film, among others .

Life is bleak on the island after an "industrial accident" destroyed most life and left its remaining peoples to scramble amongst piles of rust and garbage to survive. Teenager Dinky wants only to run away, leave the island and find a better life, but she also wants to persuade Birdboy, a solitary youth who is shunned by most, takes drugs all the time (to subdue the demon living inside him) and rarely talks, to come away with her, for Dinky loves Birdboy. But Birdboy has his own joys and sorrows, the former being flying and his ability to seed the scorched earth with new life via glowing acorns and the latter being the murder of his father by police who misunderstood his purpose. He is not too sure how long he can continue in his life, and in the meantime Dinky and her friends plan their escape, while trying to avoid the clutches of the trash- dwelling rodents who call themselves "the forgotten children".... This is an animated film that began life in 2012 as a short and was subsequently expanded to full length by the two directors, Alberto Vasquez and Pedro Rivero. It is beautifully wrought, a piece of gorgeous (if often bleak) drawing, and the characters really get under your skin. But oh, it's so tragic for everyone involved; although the final images show a kind of beautiful transcendence, by then this viewer's heart was already completely broken by the pathos of it all. If you don't mind having your heart broken by film (as I don't), then give yourself the haunting pleasure of seeing this film!