BIRD PEOPLE REVIEW

BIRD PEOPLE REVIEW

Stylistic and innovative are two characteristics that describe French New Wave. Directors such as Truffaut and Godard are known throughout the world for rejecting the way cinema existed and innovated film forever. All French film whether following the rules of the French New Wave style or not, arguably use it as a historic basis and sense of identity (similar to Americans and the Classical Hollywood system).

Pascale Ferran attempted to break ground in the innovation of French film in his film Bird People and tragically failed. Watching an all around bad film sucks, watching a bad film that started off great but turned bad is unbearable. The latter is most definitely the case for Bird People

The filmed opened by illustrating the different individuals on the train in Paris. It had a “city symphony” effect that was most definitely effective and had me intrigued. The panning along with close illustrated through the camera told a story. I felt like I was on the train with all of these people. I was so interested to meet these so-called “bird people” and their stories. I wanted to know them and find out more. From the introduction, I anticipated a “crash” sequence or mutli narrative film to depict the story of the “bird people.”

Much to my surprise, I frankly in unconventional terms got “punked.” Bird People should actually named Bird Person. Unlike the opening of the film that suggests following the story of multiple individuals, it follows the story on two characters, Audrey (Anais Demoustier) and Gary (Josh Charles).

Audrey is a cleaning lady at an up-scale hotel in Paris. Like most young women her age, she is trying to find her identity and purpose in life. She hates her job as a cleaning lady and desires for more freeness and purpose in life.

Gary is an American businessman for a huge corporation in the United States. He like Audrey is tired of the cyclical routine in his life despite his ability to travel around the world with his job. Gary has a life epiphany which selfishly changes the life of himself, his family, and co workers forever.

Josh Charles’ performance was forced and dry at best. Not only did I not like his character, he got on my nerves. The Voice of God that Ferran used in the film made Charles’ performance more flat as the voice was narrating to the audience how he felt. This should be able to be conveyed to the audience by Charles’ acting not told from an outside voice that went away after 10 minuetes and further created a great detachment between the audience and the protagonist.

Anais Demoustier’s portrayal of Audrey was better than Charles’ but still lacked gusto and worth. I am most interested with Audrey when she transforms into a bird.

It is quite sad that my favorite character in the film was a CGI bird that randomly appears in the middle of the film. The personality shown from the bird is exquisite and illustrates what the film is desperately trying to convey with words but cannot.

 I wish that Aubrey did not speak as a bird. The characterization of Aubrey and Gary is as inconsistent as the stylistic elements of the film cinematically. This film repetitively works better when no one is speaking. The CGI work of the bird within the film was the most amazing part of the film. Nevertheless, the illustration of the bird in flight completely mimicked an airplane more than a bird at times. The characterization of the bird overshadows the performances of Aubrey and Gary ten fold.

The film has some of the most cliché dialogue and interactions that I have ever heard. From “what’s the opposite of opposite” or “I feel like I am a sugar cube dissolving into nothing” this film is trying so hard to be artistic and innovative. It’s annoying not affective.

The characterization of Aubrey and Gary is as inconsistent as the stylistic elements of the film cinematically. Ferran’s voice in Bird People got extremely lost. Through the themes of flight and true identity being a common motif, the desire to illustrate two individuals lost in the world but becoming “free” just made me as a spectator more lost and puzzled.

Perhaps, Ferran’s stylistic discontinuity was meant to illustrate the complexities of his characters; however, the dry dialogue mixed with the latter inevitably comes across as elementary.

Bird People had so much potential to be a French Classic but the disjointed style, story, and acting is anything but innovative.

Cast: Anais Demoustier, Josh Charles

Director: Pascale Ferran

Screenwriter: Pascale Ferran, Guillaume Breaud

Producer: Denis Freyd