Birds of Passage is an uneasy “family” drama boasted by stern, austere performances from a majority of its cast who are somehow newcomers to the world of show business. The central hallmark that makes this spectacle protrude gloriously is its lustrous gambits in storytelling.
This movie divulges and cuts just the right amount of excerpts while concurrently, covering a ton of ground without having to sacrifice its grandeur through typical exposition (which is a lying factor that so many dramas fall under these days). The progression this film disburses is to be eulogized.
Birds of Passage is an art-piece made to make its audience jittery. So many moments are placidly conferred yet, so many moments, all of a sudden, become anxiously INTENSE. The score is culturally fitting as well, and quite mesmeric.
One could assert that the story at hand doesn’t necessarily submit any plot surprises or isn’t too arbitrary nor bonafide for that matter but, considering the material withheld in Birds of Passage is—for the most part—factually true, it’s burdensome to smear the movie down due to these “shortcomings”.
If you savor films like American Made, Sicario 1 & 2, or TV shows like Breaking Bad, Narcos, or anything that links with the drug cartel genre in general, I 100% recommend seeking this thriller out. Birds of Passage is an arrestingly sheltered record about the ruinous and tearing origins of the Colombian drug trade.
Verdict: B
Natalia Reyes and the actress who plays Aníbal’s daughter (sorry I don’t know her name) are absolute goddesses. And then you have Greider Meza playing characters like Leonídas… Man, does it suck to be a thriving young woman in this movie when your marriage options involve dudes like him. Tough world.
“Birds of Passage” is now playing in select theaters.
Burning the Celluloid 
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