Drunken Birds () is a 2021 Canadian drama film directed by Ivan Grbovic who co-wrote with Sara Mishara.André Duchesne, "Les oiseaux ivres d’Ivan Grbovic au TIFF". La Presse, August 11, 2021. The film stars Jorge Antonio Guerrero as Willy, a Mexican drug runner in a crime cartel who travels to Canada in search of his girlfriend Marlena (Yoshira Escárrega) after she disappears, and takes a job as a migrant worker on a farm in the Montérégie region.
The film's cast also includes Hélène Florent, Claude Legault, Marine Johnson, Maxime Dumontier, Amaryllis Tremblay, Karl Walcott, Gilberto Barraza, and Normand D'Amour.
The film premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, in the Platform Prize program.Pat Mullen, "TIFF Unveils Line-up for ‘Celebrating Alanis’ Retrospective". Point of View, August 11, 2021. The film was digitally and theatrically released in Canada is on October 15, 2021, by Les Films Opale. It was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Synopsis Marlena is the young wife of a powerful wealthy man in Mexico, Willy is her secret lover. Fearing the worst, the lovers will flee separately in the hopes of finding each other in a safer place. Willy suspects that Marlena is hiding in Montreal, so he escapes to Quebec where he is hired as a seasonal worker at the Bécotte Farm. While friendships are being forged between foreign workers on the farm, a gap is growing between the Bécotte family members. Willy, unknowingly, will arouse the desire in Julie, the wife of the owner. The situation will not be without consequences for the group - especially for her estranged teenage daughter Léa, who soon finds herself exploited after running away in search of freedom. Willy is accused of a crime he did not commit, which sends a ripple effect through the lives of all, leading to an eventual redemption.
Cast
Reception Critical response Drunken Birds has an approval rating of 75% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews, and an average rating of 6.1/10.
Jared Mobarak of The Film Stage gave the film a positive review writing, "Writer/director Ivan Grbovic and co-writer/cinematographer Sara Mishara seamlessly take us back and forth through time so the romance at the center of their Les oiseaux ivres [Drunken Birds] can unfold with mystery and anticipation." Another positive review was written by Pat Mullen for That Shelf: "Exceptionally crafted with its feet firmly planted between two worlds, Drunken Birds represents the best that is happening in Canadian cinema right now. It challenges us to look at the landscape we love and wonder if it looks so golden from another perspective. Drunken Birds is the best film the TIFF Platform competition had to offer this year and a Canadian standout for the year overall."
The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021.Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021" . Now, December 6, 2021.
Awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result FICFA 2021 Best Canadian Film Ivan Grbovic "Le jury du 35e FICFA récompense les meilleurs films". Ici Radio-Canada Nouveau-Brunswick, November 18, 2021. Canadian Screen Awards 2022 Best Picture Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022. Best Supporting Actor Claude Legault Best Supporting Actress Marine Johnson Best Art Direction/Production Design André-Line Beauparlant Best Cinematography Sara Mishara Best Editing Arthur Tarnowski Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2021 Best Actor in a Canadian Film Jorge Antonio Guerrero Dana Gee, "The Power of the Dog, Night Raiders lead Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards nominations". Vancouver Sun, February 20, 2022. Prix Iris 2022 Best Film Luc Déry, Kim McCraw François Lévesque, "Hélène Florent aux oiseaux au Gala Québec Cinéma". Le Devoir, June 5, 2022. Best Director Ivan Grbovic Best Actress Hélène Florent Best Supporting Actor Claude Legault Best Supporting Actress Marine Johnson Revelation of the Year Jorge Antonio Guerrero Best Screenplay Ivan Grbovic, Sara Mishara Best Art Direction André-Line Beauparlant Best Costume Design Patricia McNeil Best Cinematography Sara Mishara Best Editing Arthur Tarnowski Best Original Music Philippe Brault Best Sound Olivier Calvert, Stephen de Oliveira, Bernard Gariépy Strobl Best Makeup Marie-Josée Galibert Best Casting Nathalie Boutrie Public Prize Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Prix collégial du cinéma québécois 2022 Best Film Drunken Birds Maxime Demers, "Prix collégial du cinéma québécois : les finalistes dévoilés". Le Journal de Montréal, January 18, 2022.
See also List of submissions to the 94th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Canadian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
Drunken Birds at micro_scope