the metamorphosis of birds (w&d catarina vasconcelos)

Catarina Vasconcelos’ film has the feel of a prose poem. The narrative is sketchy. As the film unfolds we gradually realise that this is the story of a family, a homage by the filmmaker to her mother who died too young. But these elements emerge elliptically. The film is constructed from artfully staged frames. A woman tries to right a fallen tree. A man stares out of a porthole. A boat with a tree sets out onto open water. A woman submerges in a river. The film is an assemblage of these moments. It’s slow, immersive, without the current of narrative to drive it along. At the same time, the meditative approach contains beauty. A Mapplethorpe-esque montage of flowers opening. A sequence of African stamps. A language of images, assembled to reveal the story of a family.