Directed by João Pedro Rodrigues • 2016 • Portugal
Starring Paul Hamy, Xelo Cagiao, João Pedro Rodrigues
The latest from boundary-pushing director João Pedro Rodrigues is a mesmerizing metaphysical odyssey through both sexual and spiritual realms. Fernando (Paul Hamy), a solitary ornithologist, is looking for endangered black storks along a remote river in northern Portugal when he is swept away by the rapids. Rescued by a couple of Chinese pilgrim girls on their way to Santiago de Compostela, he plunges into a dark, eerie forest, trying to get back on track. But as he encounters a series of unexpected and uncanny obstacles along the way, Fernando is driven to extreme, transformative actions. Gradually he becomes a different man: inspired, multifaceted, and finally enlightened.
In this 2017 episode of the series “Where Are You?,” created by the Centre Pompidou and Celluloid Dreams, director João Pedro Rodrigues explores his
career in cinema, with a focus on his film THE ORNITHOLOGIST, through a collage of lyrical imagery and reflective narration.
