X
- 2017
- Unrated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 57 m
- 2017
- Unrated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 57 m
Summary Fernando, a solitary ornithologist, is looking for black storks when he is swept away by the rapids. Rescued by a couple of Chinese pilgrims, he plunges into an eerie and dark forest, trying to get back on his track. [Strand Releasing]
Directed By: João Pedro Rodrigues
Written By: João Pedro Rodrigues
- 2017
- Unrated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 57 m
- 2017
- Unrated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 57 m
The Ornithologist
85
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary Fernando, a solitary ornithologist, is looking for black storks when he is swept away by the rapids. Rescued by a couple of Chinese pilgrims, he plunges into an eerie and dark forest, trying to get back on his track. [Strand Releasing]
Directed By: João Pedro Rodrigues
Written By: João Pedro Rodrigues
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
85
93% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
85
93% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The Ornithologist” is both an opaque narrative and a deeply inviting one. Even as the film commences a series of radical formal and dramatic mutations, you are held rapt by the steadiness of the camera’s gaze and the sublime, sun-dappled beauty that it invariably discovers.
Though clearly not a proposition for either devout Christians or audiences for whom the multiplex is a temple, this is the kind of take-no-prisoners art house fare that advances and deepens the understanding of a singular director’s oeuvre as a whole.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
5.9
61% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
11% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
28% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
5.9
61% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
11% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
28% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
It’s clear the film may be a goof on Rodrigues’ part, but good thing it’s at least funny enough to not just sustain, but build its laughs to the very end.
The Ornithologist has its pleasures. Perhaps one day Rodrigues will turn his considerable talent and unique approach to a portrait of the real-life St. Anthony, in the way that Roberto Rossellini paid tribute to his hero in “The Flowers of St. Francis.”
The Ornithologist is so stunningly strange and out of its time that this slow and deliberate film holds your attention, making you wonder what wonder or calamity will befall Fernando next.
Perhaps The Ornithologist lends itself so well to scholarly unpacking because it has too little of its own to offer. Maybe it’s healthier to just enjoy the light bouncing from the water to Hamy’s abs.
Production Company
Blackmaria,
House on Fire,
Ítaca Films Brasil,
Le Fresnoy Studio National des Arts Contemporains,
Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual (ICA),
Ministério da Cultura,
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP),
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC),
Ministère des Affaires Étrangères,
Institut Français,
Ancine
Release Date Jun 23, 2017
Duration 1 h 57 m
Rating Unrated
Tagline Certain things occur, it's a question of belief. - St. Anthony of Lisbon
Awards
CinEuphoria Awards
• 5 Wins & 11 Nominations
International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA)
• 5 Nominations
San Sebastián International Film Festival
• 4 Nominations
