Drunken Birds

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Drunken Birds
Drunken Birds Poster.jpg
Official poster
FrenchLes Oiseaux ivres
Directed byIvan Grbovic
Written byIvan Grbovic
Sara Mishara
Produced byLuc Déry
Kim McCraw
StarringJorge Antonio Guerrero
Hélène Florent
Claude Legault
Marine Johnson
CinematographySara Mishara
Edited byArthur Tarnowski
Music byPhilippe Brault
Production
company
micro_scope
Distributed by
  • Les Films Opale (Canada)
  • WaZabi Films (World)
Release date
  • September 13, 2021 (2021-09-13) (TIFF)
Running time
104 minutes
Countries
  • Canada
  • Mexico
Languages
  • French
  • Spanish

Drunken Birds (French: Les Oiseaux ivres) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Ivan Grbovic and released in 2021.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

Reception[]

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."[5] 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."[6]

The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021.[7]

Awards[]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
FICFA 2021 Best Canadian Film Ivan Grbovic Won [8]
Canadian Screen Awards 2022 Best Picture Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Pending [9]
Best Supporting Actor Claude Legault Pending
Best Supporting Actress Marine Johnson Pending
Best Art Direction/Production Design André-Line Beauparlant Pending
Best Cinematography Sara Mishara Pending
Best Editing Arthur Tarnowski Pending

Cast[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ André Duchesne, "Les oiseaux ivres d’Ivan Grbovic au TIFF". La Presse, August 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Pat Mullen, "TIFF Unveil's (sic) Line-up for ‘Celebrating Alanis’ Retrospective". Point of View, August 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Victoria Ahearn (October 4, 2021). "Drunken Birds chosen as Canada's contender for international film Oscar". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  4. ^ micro_scope. "Press Kit" (PDF). micro_scope. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-09-23.
  5. ^ Mobarak, Jared (September 19, 2021). "TIFF Review: Drunken Birds Centers on a Romance That Unfolds with Mystery and Style". The Film Stage. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Mullen, Pat (September 18, 2021). "TIFF Platform 2021: Drunken Birds Flies High". That Shelf. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021". Now, December 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Le jury du 35e FICFA récompense les meilleurs films". Ici Radio-Canada Nouveau-Brunswick, November 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022.

External links[]

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