Directed by Catarina Vasconcelos
With Manuel Rosa, João Móra, Ana Vasconcelos
Not Rated, 101 minutes, DCP
In Portuguese with English subtitles.
An extraordinarily beautiful and fascinating documentary that has the feel of a precious heirloom, this impressionistic yet emotionally rich film finds Portuguese filmmaker Catarina Vasconcelos sifting through the memories and dreams of her ancestors.
In prismatic images, richly shot on 16mm film, we get the sense of a family's entire lineage, starting with her naval officer grandfather, Henrique, who married her grandmother, Beatriz, on her 21st birthday; he then spent extended periods at sea, leaving her with an expanding brood of children. This is the beginning of a generational saga, told in shards of memory and voiceover.
The Metamorphosis of Birds achingly evokes the natural world — the changing seasons, the play of sunlight, the ever-flowing tides, and the plant and animal life — that counterbalances and nurtures human life cycles.
This is a free but ticketed event. Tickets will be available for pick-up at the Ticket Office one hour prior to the performance. To guarantee your seat, please pick up your tickets at least 15 minutes prior to the show. In the event of a sell-out, unclaimed tickets will be used to seat patrons waiting on standby.
Sponsored by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies