Birds of Passage adventurous and truly original

You have never seen a gangster movie — or for that matter, a movie themed around the dark arts of drug trafficking — like this relentlessly eye-popping affair set in the wilds of rural Colombia.

Birds of Passage is an unusual epic crime drama set in Colombia.

You have never seen a gangster movie — or for that matter, a movie themed around the dark arts of drug trafficking — like this relentlessly eye-popping affair set in the wilds of rural Colombia.

The story of Birds of Passage centres on an indigenous family’s ties to the region’s booming narcotics trade over several decades, as they are swept from an existence of poverty and isolation to extremes of money and corruption.

From the early 1970s onwards, the evolution of marijuana as a drug easily grown, traded and transported out of Central and South America became a telling turning point for millions of people who had once lived a simple life along traditional tribal lines.

Birds of Passage will fascinate and worry you.

This is the latest work from the makers of the other-worldly 2015 art house hit Embrace of the Serpent, and though radically different in terms of subject matter, the core themes remain the same. 

When first-world vices are allowed to seep into the third world, irreversible cultural devastation and devaluing of human life are sure to follow.

It must be put on record that Birds of Passage is not without its slow stretches where nothing seems to be happening, perhaps under the (correct, as it turns out) beautiful cinematography on offer will plug all gaps.

However, when push comes to shove, this remarkable production never loses your full attention nor fascination or worry.

Adventurous movie fans on the lookout for something truly original should head straight here.

BIRDS OF PASSAGE (MA15+)

Directors: Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra 

Starring: Carmiña Martínez, Jose Acosta, Jhon Narváez, Natalia Reyes.

Rating: ****

Hope migrates south and never returns

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