During the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia, Rapayet and his indigenous family get involved in a war to control the business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.
It’s difficult to believe that the filmmakers behind “Birds of Passage,” Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra, got divorced while shooting the film. The utterly enigmatic, soulful and thrilling result is so cohesive, lacking any traces of an off-screen conflict, it suggests that the couple compartmentalized their emotions, not allowing personal differences to blemish their artistic vision. A spiritual sequel to their masterful, hallucinatory “Embrace of the Serpent,” (which I reviewed on this site), “Birds of Passage” works on many levels: as an intense character study, an epic thriller, and a somber allegory/treatise on leaving behind decades of culture and tradition in pursuit of personal advancement. My only concern is that, now that they’ve separated, “Birds of Passage” may mark the last of Gallego’ and Guerra’s collaborations, a gap that will be impossible to fill, such is the power of those auteurs’ vision.
While, akin to the titular snake, “Serpent” slowly slithered deep into exploring the relationship between an Amazonian shaman and a duo of white scientists, as well as their mutual, psychedelic search for a sacred healing plant, “Birds,” like the feathered vertebrates, soars high on ambition, spanning years, following its indigenous Colombian protagonists through highs and lows in an almost-biographical way. It’s more accessible, too: based on a true story and shot on 35mm in color, as opposed to “Serpent”’s crisp black-and-white, it scales back on the otherworldliness and amps up the thrills, without sacrificing the emotional impact. Think of Fernando Meirelles’ “City of God,” with a thick layer of mysticism.
Set in the Colombian jungle during the rise of the marijuana craze, “Birds of Passage” follows Rapayet (a subtle, introverted José Acosta), who’s busy courting the beautiful virgin Zaida (Natalia Reyes, saying volumes with a barely-perceptible sigh). As members of different tribes, they have to abide by very strict traditions; he must present expensive gifts – cattle, beads, etc. – to win her heart and hand in marriage. This quickly leads to Rapayet succumbing to fortune’s beckoning, getting deeper and deeper involved in the drug trade, as he strides further and further away from the traditions that shaped him. Along for the ride is his increasingly sociopathic friend and partner Moisés (a riveting performance from newcomer Jhon Narváez). The film follows Rapayet’s tragic trajectory through the 1960s and 1970s – the rise and fall of one of the first drug kingpins in recorded history.
“Birds of Passage” is so chock-full of searing moments, it’s difficult to pinpoint any specific one that resonates more than others. Even the quiet segments, of which there are quite a few, serve a purpose of drawing you into the culture and milieu of tribal life, just so you can be violently yanked out of it and face the realities of an all-encompassing “Progress.” The acting is top-notch all around, the poetic direction seamless – a sequence where Moisés casually murders two people is as riveting as that of Rapayet, bitter-but-calm, awaiting his demise in a house that he built for himself in the middle of a desert. Gallego and Guerra fill “Birds” with numerous juxtapositions of nature and humankind, the instinctual vs the reflexive. Remnants of “Serpent”’s psychedelia remain, the filmmakers entrancing you with cosmic vibes (and a gorgeous soundtrack by Leonardo Heiblum).
The film’s somewhat-predictable outcome may be my only gripe. “Birds of Passage” casts a global look at our changing world through the lens of this humid, violent, beautiful Colombian microcosm, posing questions such as, “How much are you willing to sacrifice to advance in society?” With its elegiac pace and tone, Gallego and Guerra’s artful film will stand the test of time (unlike their marriage, eek!). This bird flies right into the sun and remains intact.
In select theaters February 13th
