This Danish picture chronicles the life of a man who needs a son in order to keep his buisness, but is unable to produce one with his wife. Their solution is to get it with another man, which sets the stage for a package full of drama in the years following.
The messages this film conveys are very effective and thought through (especially the symbolism regarding the titular birds),and the sense that family is something you choose rather than neccesarily those you are born with is ever present. The cast is amazing (evident by its Swedish Guldbagge nomination),and you really feel for the characters in this movie, no matter which side of a particular conflict they are on - it is truly a fantasticly written feature.
The twists and turns are endless, and Richard Hobert, who has already proven himself a great director in the past, once again nails it and shows that he is able to pick up in the Nordic relationship genre that Ingmar Bergman experted in before him.
It is a story that should be experienced for yourself, and I can't recommend it enough!
I give it a 9 out of 10.
Plot summary
It's the late 1800s and the birdcatcher Esmar and his wife Johanna are trying to survive on the harsh dramatic cliffs of the Faroe Islands. Local law dictates that unless they have a son, an heir to the hold on their land, they will be evicted. When Johanna gives birth to their third daughter, with time on the lease running out, they become desperate. A friend, innkeeper Livia, suggests that the only way for Johanna to have a son might be to be impregnated by another man. It's unthinkable, but they are pushed to the brink. When they employ Livia's lover, the "French Captain" to do the deed, none of. them can understand the ultimate consequences of their choices.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 951.84 MB
1280*694
Swedish 2.0
NR
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