BIRDS OF PASSAGE really caught me by surprise. Hands down of the the best films I've seen come through the Milwaukee Film Festival in years. A tale of the early days of the Colombian drug cartel days this has all the tropes of the best mafia films from The Godfather to Scarface.
BIRDS OF PASSAGE tells the story of a man named Rapayet (Jose Acosta) who we are introduced to courting his future wife but to marry her, he must secure a dowry. Realising his alcohol running won't do the job, he decides to sell marijuana.
Set in the decades of the 1960's and 1970's it was fascinating to see the rise of the violent drug cartels of Colombia. We see the evolution between the "old ways" and the new world.
Directed by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra and written by Maria Camilla Arias and Jaques Toulemonde Vidal it was a true pleasure to see the film on the big screen in a festival setting.
The acting was wonderful and the cinematography was nothing short of breathtaking. Clocking in at just over 2 hours, I thought this would feel a bit too long for a subtitles movie but, I was so wrong.
It grabs you and keeps you invested in the characters and story.