Pájaros

When I saw Birds flying east I'm reminded of films like Sturges' Sullivan's Travels, Lynch's The Straight Story and especially Kitano's Kikujiro. This is a ROAD MOVIE with heart , in which the least important thing is the origin and destiny of the characters, but rather everything that happens on that journey to nowhere and the human relationship that is created between the protagonists. The weight of the film falls on the two main actors Javier Gutierrez and Luis Zahera, who are sublime and the chemistry between them could not be better, getting the viewer to quickly fall in love with these poor devils. The photography is great and superb, with those immense skies and those picturesque places in which we find ourselves immersed.

Special mention to the soundtrack, like in Kikujiro, the music takes on a special role, being an essential element in the story and not falling into the trap of guiding the audience's feelings according to the mood of the moment, in key moments it takes a back seat and in moments of transition it is the absolute protagonist, creating a perfect atmosphere with the situation of the moment. Obviously so that everything works, the actors, the photography, the music, the rhythm... the director needs to be up to the task and Pau Durá has achieved it. In Formentera Lady, another ROAD MOVIE, he already emerged as a very interesting director, but with Birds he has surpassed himself on all levels, everything works like a clockwork, there are dramatic moments, happy moments and others that are totally surreal and always without falling into the typical clichés. We witness the consequences produced by the erroneous behavior of our two protagonists and their journey to redemption. It would be a cinematic sin not to see this great little masterpiece.

I went into this with zero expectations, probably due to the average rating and lack of reviews, and knowing little more than the rather reductive and dumbed-down plot summary. In fact, I only really watched it because of a recent fascination with birds.

Without giving much away, it's a road trip, involving two stranger who each bring their own literal and emotional baggage along for the ride. Is it slow-paced? Yes. Is it boring? Depends. For me, I was drawn In enough by Javier Gutierrez' portrayal of Colombo to stick with it. Superb acting. Luis Zahera and Teresa Saponangelo deliver equally good performances as Mario and Elisabetta, respectively.

The script could have gone a lot deeper and the cinematography could have highlighted the beautiful landscapes better and become its own character, but, ultimately, it delivers what it sets out for the genre: the journey, from A to B, broken to healed, selfish to selfless.

It could have been great, but it's still good, and the performances alone are worth watching. It simply teases what it could have delivered, leaving a somewhat-dissatisfied hunger for more that some will dislike. Nevertheless, an engaging study of failed dreams and fear of responsibility in two fragile characters.