''Drunken Birds'' (french: Les Oiseaux ivres) is a Canadian drama film, directed by

Ivan Grbovic Ivan Grbovic (born 1979 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian cinematographer, film director and screenwriter, most noted for his film ''Drunken Birds (Les oiseaux ivres)''. The film was the top winner at the 24th Quebec Cinema Awards in 2022, includi ...

and released in 2021. The film stars Jorge Antonio Guerrero as Willy, a Mexican drug runner in a crime cartel who travels to Canada in search of his girlfriend Marlena (Yoshira Escárrega) after she disappears, and takes a job as a

migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who Human migration, migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant worker ...

on a farm in the

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. The ...

region. The film's cast also includes

Hélène Florent Hélène Florent is a Canadian film and television actress. Her roles have included the television series ''Les Invincibles'', ''Toute la vérité'', ''La galère'', and the 2000s revival of ''Lance et compte'', as well as the films ''Yellowknife ...

Claude Legault Claude Legault (born May 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor and television writer from Quebec. Biography Legault was a star (2000-2003) of the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation and has since appeared regularly on television, stage and film. He was part ...

Marine Johnson Marine Johnson is a Canadian actress from Quebec. She is most noted for her performance in the 2017 film ''The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes)'', for which she received a Canadian Screen Awa ...

, Maxime Dumontier, Amaryllis Tremblay, Karl Walcott, Gilberto Barraza, and

Normand D'Amour Normand D'Amour (born September 22, 1962) is a Canadian actor from Montreal, Quebec. He is most noted for his supporting role in the film '' Everything Is Fine (Tout est parfait)'', for which he won the Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actor at ...

. The film premiered at the

2021 Toronto International Film Festival The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, the 46th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held from September 9 to 18, 2021.Barry Hertz"TIFF planning ‘substantially bigger’ 2021 film festival compared to last year’ ...

, in the

Platform Prize The Platform Prize is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to films of "high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong directorial vision."Best International Feature Film at the

94th Academy Awards The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after its u ...

Synopsis

Marlena is the young wife of a powerful wealthy man in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Willy is her secret lover. Fearing the worst, the lovers will flee separately in the hopes of finding each other in a safer place. Willy suspects that Marlena is hiding in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, so he escapes to Quebec where he is hired as a seasonal worker at the Bécotte Farm. While friendships are being forged between foreign workers on the farm, a gap is growing between the Bécotte family members. Willy, unknowingly, will arouse the desire in Julie, the wife of the owner. The situation will not be without consequences for the group - especially for her estranged teenage daughter Léa, who soon finds herself exploited after running away in search of freedom. Willy is accused of a crime he did not commit, which sends a ripple effect through the lives of all, leading to an eventual redemption.

Cast

Reception

Jared Mobarak of ''The Film Stage'' gave the film a positive review writing, "Writer/director Ivan Grbovic and co-writer/cinematographer Sara Mishara seamlessly take us back and forth through time so the romance at the center of their ''Les oiseaux ivres runken Birds' can unfold with mystery and anticipation." Another positive review was written by Pat Mullen for ''That Shelf'': "Exceptionally crafted with its feet firmly planted between two worlds, ''Drunken Birds'' represents the best that is happening in Canadian cinema right now. It challenges us to look at the landscape we love and wonder if it looks so golden from another perspective. ''Drunken Birds'' is the best film the TIFF Platform competition had to offer this year and a Canadian standout for the year overall." The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end

Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival and announced in December each year to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema" ...

list for 2021.Norman Wilner
"TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021"
''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'', December 6, 2021.

Awards

References

External links