And the Birds Rained Down (2019 EIFF 1)

Wow!

It’s almost October and I finally watched my first four-star film of 2019. I assumed the Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF) would offer at least one (hopefully more) of those, but I’ve already watched twelve films here (including the winner of the Palme d’Or) and it’s the only four-star film so far.

That first four-star offering is a small French-Canadian film from director Louise Archambault. And the Birds Rained Down is a stunningly beautiful film, and I am not primarily referring to the cinematography (though it is excellent). I am referring to the profound observations about life, about love, about art, about aging, about friendship, about memory and about healing. 

76-year-old Gertrude (Andrée Lachapelle) has been wrongfully institutionalized most of her life. But when her brother dies, her nephew, Steve (Éric Robidoux), sneaks her out and brings her to his lodge, located deep in the woods of central Quebec. Nearby live two old hermits (Tom, played  by Rémy Girard, and Charlie, played by Gilbert Sicotte). A third hermit living in the area (Ted) has recently died and Steve suggests his aunt could live in Ted’s cabin. There is some consternation. More consternation follows when a photographer/researcher (Rafaëlle, played by Ève Landry), researching the impact, decades later, of a catastrophic forest fire, shows up in search of Ted, one of the fire’s survivors. The sudden presence of the two women will profoundly impact the lives of Tom and Charlie.

The slow pace of And the Birds Rained Down is absolutely perfect, the cinematography and music is exactly right, and the acting of Lachapelle, Girard and Sicotte is sublime, with Landry impressing as well. Based on a novel by Jocelyne Saucier, Archambault’s writing is likewise masterful. 

There are some minor flaws in the film, mostly involving the character of Steve, but they are not worth elaborating on. And the Birds Rained Down is a magical Canadian film that I recommend to everyone. **** My mug is held high for what is, for the moment, my favourite film of 2019.