Birds of Paradise Review – Entertaining, Beautifully Choregraphed, Captivating

Details
Category: Film
Published on Friday, 24 September 2021 11:13
Written by Janet Walker

Birds of Paradise, from Amazon Studios, presents the story of friendship, as two gifted dancers determined to overcome the past, forge a fragile bond to ensure they both succeed in the cutthroat, competitive world of elite dance.

 

The film begins with a fantasy montage of a lush neon enhanced jungle when a dancer peeks through the greenery. Dancing in a modern ballet, we see the masked pixie collapse. The scene cuts to a a picture window, where the audiences understand as the Eiffel Tower rises in the distance that we are in Paris. The dancer, now modern, moves with skill and intensity. She stops when a woman, Celine Durand, played by Caroline Goodall, interrupts the movement with the harshness of her tone.

 

Best Sellers Review – Entertaining, Solid Story and Character Driven Performance

We find the dancer is entering a competition to be the best dancer with a grand prize of a contract to join the Opéra national de Paris.

The scene cuts to the studio of a prestigious ballet school in Paris, where a talented, ambitious and gifted, and tomboyish, aspiring ballerina, from Virginia, dressed in boy shorts listens as the instructor Madam Brunelle, played by Jacqueline Bisset, berates her in French. She stops as the comments don't hit the intended target, as we find out Virginia/Kate, played by Diane Silvers, does not speak French, and asks in English, "Why are you here?"

As Kate and Marine Durand, played by Kristine Froseth, are warming up school gossip brings the audience up to date on the past. M, and her brother Ollie, were the best dancers in the school until her committed suicide. Kate dropped out which reshuffled the rankings.

Who You Think I Am Review – Captivating, Magnetic Story Driven Performances

Kate tries to enter into the conversation, but without the language and unaware of the wounds, she makes one too many comments. This results in a brawl, as M pounces on her and with cat like swiftness pummels Kate. The final blow unlocks the rage left behind in the states and with one swing nearly knocks M out.

As circumstances have it, Kate, and M, who are polar opposites, are roommates, which adds to the tension. We soon find out that M, is the daughter of the American Ambassador to France, and at this point the suicide of her brother has caused an irreparable chasm between herself and her family, which she exhibits through outrageous behavior. Kate on the other hand is at the school by the good graces of a scholarship, she is desperate to fit in and as the dangerous M draws her into her world.

Soon, the weeks have continued to fly by consumed with the weekly rankings, dance and while confrontational at first, Kate and Marine's relationship evolves into an emotionally charged, competitive union beset by lies, sexual awakening and, ultimately, emotional breakthrough they develop a friendship, an alliance.

Together Review – Heartfelt, Tour de Force Performances

We also see other dancers helping Kate as she confronts her financial struggles and others confront what they consider the challenges that keep them second. As the final five are announced the friendships turn to backstabbing, anything goes, to secure the prize.

Birds of Paradise invites viewers to follow these hopefuls as they battle toward the grand prize. The film provides realistic issues faced in the world of elite dance. Beautifully choregraphed, with intense scenes, the film is captivating from the beginning.  

Birds of Paradise premieres Friday, September 24, 2021, on Amazon Prime. See it.

Copshop Review – A Wild, Explosive, Entertaining, Thrill Ride

 

Country: USA.

Language: English, French with English Subtitles.

Runtime: 113 minutes.

Director: Sarah Adina Smith.

Writer: Sarah Adina Smith, based on the book "Bright Burning Stars" by A.K. Small.

Cast: Diana Silvers, Kristine Froseth, Jacqueline Bisset, Eva Lomby, Caroline Goodall, Roger Barclay, Nassim Lyes, Stav Strashko, Didier Flamand, Helene Cardona, Gaetan Vermeulen, Alice Dardenne, Solomon Golding, Daniel Carmargo.

Haute News

Haute Tease

  • Annual New York Tastes Benefits City Harvest

    New York Magazine recently hosted the eleventh annual New York Tastes benefiting the food charity City Harvest at Skylight in the Tribeca section of New York City.                                                                                                 

     

  • Student on Summer Internship Finds Triceratops Skull

    For paleontologists The Badlands of North and South Dakota have again reveled their richness with the recent discovery of a 65million year-old Triceratops Skull by California college student Harrison Duran, 23, an amateur fossil excavator on a summer internship.

     

  • Philae Spacecraft Makes Historic Comet Landing

    The European Space Agency, with the assistance from the space docking launching station Rosetta, has robotically landed, which was live-streamed, the unmanned Philae Spacecraft on a comet recording and the first ever such landing by any space agency.

     

  • Abingdon Theatre Company Virtual Festival of Short Plays

    Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Artistic Director) has announced casting for their 3rd annual Virtual Festival of Short Plays; a festival set to shed light on stories written by BIPOC playwrights via Abingdon's YouTube channel.  

  • The Call of The Wild Review – Majestic, Breathtaking, Perfect

    The Call of the Wild, from 20th Century Films, presents the story of Jack London’s John Thornton and an imposing Saint Bernard named Buck, who through fate becomes the majestic, leader he was destined to become.

     

  • Birds of Paradise Review – Entertaining, Beautifully Choregraphed, Captivating

    Birds of Paradise, from Amazon Studios, presents the story of friendship, as two gifted dancers determined to overcome the past, forge a fragile bond to ensure they both succeed in the cutthroat, competitive world of elite dance.