The Metamorphosis of Birds

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The Metamorphosis of Birds

2020

1h 51m

Documentary

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Catarina Vasconcelos sifts through the memories and dreams of her ancestors. Vasconcelos presents her family's lineage, starting with her grandfather Henrique, who married her grandmother Beatriz on her 21st birthday. This is the beginning of a generational saga, told in shards of memory and voiceover.

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

03/13/2022

3/5

This dramatised documentary about the family history of Portuguese first-time director Catarina Vasconcelos has a cumulative power that draws the audience into its dreamy, contemplative rhythms.

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

03/11/2022

4/5

Could’ve happily sat with this 100-minute film for at least another hour.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

03/07/2022

3/5

It’s a film of extraordinary, beautifully composed images, each one like a painting itself...

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William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

07/18/2024

4.5/5

Striking in its abstract form and hypnotic in its unique compositions, The Metamorphosis of Birds is a deeply personal consideration of life, death and the natural world.

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Sarah Kent

The Arts Desk

03/15/2022

5/5

A film that may not succeed in awakening the dead, but is every bit as beautiful and as moving as Bach’s music.

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Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

03/15/2022

3/5

When it produces beauty and lyricism — as it does here — this kind of cinema is worthwhile. Still, an hour and 40 minutes of it is an awful lot.

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Sarthak D

10/22/2023

A truly cathartic experience which I can say revived my soul at a time I was in search of god. God revealed himself to me through this movie and made me look at so many things about life differently. While I have yet to contemplate on everything it has made me reconsider my entire life's trajectory...it has made me want to spend more time with my family and truly appreciate them while also pursuing art as an means of expression and even career. A truly beautiful movie with so many beautiful frames and quotes, my eyes were gripped by the scenes and my ears bound by the dialogue. Thank you for making this movie. Truly

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Yang S

02/28/2023

充满诗意的家族史。能明显感受到叙及导演自己的母亲时影片变得略显空洞，不知是因为导演母亲的早逝还是因为导演更难从这段切身的真实中抽离。

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Catarina Vasconcelos

Director

Manuel Rosa

Young Jacinto

João Móra

Young Pedro

Ana Vasconcelos

Young Beatriz

Henrique Vasconcelos

Jacinto

Inês Campos

Young Teresa

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Synopsis

Catarina Vasconcelos sifts through the memories and dreams of her ancestors. Vasconcelos presents her family's lineage, starting with her grandfather Henrique, who married her grandmother Beatriz on her 21st birthday. This is the beginning of a generational saga, told in shards of memory and voiceover.

Director: Catarina Vasconcelos
Producer: Pedro Fernandes Duarte, Joana Gusmão, Catarina Vasconcelos
Screenwriter: Catarina Vasconcelos, Catarina Vasconcelos
Production Co: Primeira Idade
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Drama
Original Language: Portuguese
Runtime: 1h 51m