‘The Ornithologist’
It takes a minute to be lulled into the rhythms of director Joao Pedro Rodrigues’s The Ornithologist. What presents as the sleepy story of a bird-watching expedition turned lost-in-nature drama becomes so much more, as the lead character embarks on a harrowing and often sexy ordeal. And while the film is in fact a clever and very sexy religious allegory, you don’t have to be a Catholic or familiar with the story of Saint Anthony of Padua to know that this movie is doing something very interesting with its protagonist’s journey. Show up for the dead sexy protagonist; stay for the mesmerizing story of his journey.