Ted remembers a time when the birds rained down. A lifetime ago a devastating forest fire engulfed his Quebecois home, as well as the birds. Now he is living out his later years in the same forest, isolated but for his companions Charlie and Tom and their dogs. It seems their sylvan hermitage is a kind of paradise, but disturbing undercurrents of discontent flow through it, and the balance is thrown when two women arrive – one the long-institutionalised aunt of Steve, owner of a local (and deserted) hotel, the other a younger photographer keen to document the survivors of that forest fire.
Based on an acclaimed novel by Jocelyne Saucier, And the Birds Rained Down is an unsentimental portrayal of what it means to have lived a long life, rich with experiences and secrets, and what one should do with that as the years close in. The film is meditative, beautifully filmed and engrossing – rarely in the movies are the lives of older people treated with such respect or examined with such sincere interest.
“This eco-friendly, elegantly delivered tale about the sunset changes in the lives of a trio of graybeards living in the woods is engaging, thought-provoking and ultimately moving…” - Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter.
“Touching, heartbreaking, and dangerously thought-provoking, And the Birds Rained Down will force you to re-examine your relationship with yourself, the world around you, and the people you love.” - Anne T. Donahue, Globe and Mail.
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