”There are certain things we shouldn’t try to understand.” This is the observation of Fernando, the ornithologist of the title, who seeks only to drift down a river observing birds and carry on with his work. When a swift current capsizes his kayak, Fernando finds himself wandering on foot. On the shore of this increasingly mysterious river, he encounters one bizarre incident after another, from a pair of Chinese pilgrims hiding a dangerous secret, to a fleeting gay romance, to a Hitchcockian confrontation with his avian friend, finally culminating in our hero transforming into a historical figure from the distant, distant past. A film unlike anything you will see this year, The Ornithologist is João Pedro Rodrigues’ fifth feature film, a stunning tour-de-force that will leave you perplexed and moved. “Mind-blowing in the best possible way.” - Indiewire
Director’s Biography
João Pedro Rodrigues: João Pedro Rodrigues was born in Lisbon in 1966 and educated there at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. He has directed numerous shorts and documentaries, and his features include O Fantasma ('00), Two Drifters ('05) which was screened at Cannes, To Die Like a Man ('09), and The Last Time I Saw Macao ('12).
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