The Ornithologist

Transformation is a signature motive in Portuguese filmmaker João Pedro Rodrigues’ filmography, and his new film is a fresh, fantastical variation on this theme, and on the possibilities in the adventure genre. A biologist travels into the Portuguese wilderness. He ends up in a mythological parallel universe inhabited by Chinese campers with a passion for bondage, furious amazon women, and a pagan cult, all out to get him.

The Ornithologist is a modern odyssey and a good candidate for the most visionary hallucinogenic nature films of the year. Rodrigues, himself is a trained biologist and an avid bird watcher, lets his overwhelming vision fill the screen without ever losing touch of the deeper meaning behind the madness. His work was deservedly awarded the Best Director award at Locarno International Film Festival last year, and has received glowing reviews across the board. The Ornithologist makes contemporary cinema exciting, dangerous, exotic and sexy again – and to be frankly, what more could you ask for? CPH PIX

João Pedro Rodrigues’ (b. 1966) debut as a long feature director was O Fantasma (2000). His latest films, like To Die Like a Man (2009) and Last Time I Saw Macau (2012) have been shown at several festival. The Ornithologist is his most successful film this far, and won the director’s award at the Locarno Film Festival in 2016.