I caught this gem as a filler on the Sundance Channel, and recommend it. The color is grotesquely saturated, the setting close and bleak, and the pacing brisk - all appropriate to the 'Plot' as described above. The repulsive appearance of the male character (father or husband?) is enhanced by closeups of his maw at supper table, and reminiscent of the father figure in "Natural Born Killers". The sensitivity, fear longing and, eventually, strength of the woman is well portrayed by her behavior and facial expressions. A lot of emotion, story and visual interest is packed into this bleak and rewarding short~
4 Reviews
Short, stylish and interesting tale of disgust and revenge...
jeroboambramblejam13 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Kafkaesque masterpiece in miniature
MadisonFilmBuff26 October 2008
Even if commentators like "planktonrules" can't appreciate the painstaking, artful direction or the fairytale-like atmosphere of this film, other people no doubt will. The film doesn't need dialogue because the director has clearly mastered the art of visual storytelling. Of course the film is graphic (I wouldn't recommend it to children, of course) but the graphic imagery is clearly motivated and there is nothing gratuitous about it. Maybe that is the most shocking thing about this film: that the violence and the visual effects aren't employed merely for the aesthetic enjoyment of the audience, but as an integral part of the storytelling. If being challenged by a film is beyond your capacity as a viewer, by all means, avoid this film. But if you want to watch a engaging (yes, even disturbing) film that doesn't instrumentalize its characters, then by all means check out Songbird.
Inventive, imaginative movie
mark-jericho27 October 2008
I for one found this movie to be a great watch. It was inventive in its look, and told a compelling story in a completely new way. The plot is sort of like a fairy tale, with a young woman, trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband comes home and takes the one thing she loves away from her, which finally gives her the power to stand up for herself and take her revenge.
The film has a really cool look, all the characters move around like marionettes and the pacing and movement is really bizarre. The movie also tells a really intriguing story in a really short amount of time. I recommend it highly.
The film has a really cool look, all the characters move around like marionettes and the pacing and movement is really bizarre. The movie also tells a really intriguing story in a really short amount of time. I recommend it highly.
Don't watch this film...unless you actually like watching people vomit.
planktonrules14 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Out of over 5400 reviews so far on IMDb, I have never said "don't watch this film" in a summary--so at least SONGBIRD is a first! I'll tell you about the movie first and then explain why I think it's a horrible film on just about every level.
The film is done without dialog. A lady is working on making dinner, during which time you see a nasty dog growling at her pet bird. The dog and bird are a very obvious parallel to the relationship the lady has with her husband, as once he arrives, he does nothing but growl and behave menacingly (just like the dog). The lady tries to give him his food and beers quickly--she seems afraid he'll get angry unless she keeps him happy. Then, however, the bird begins singing from underneath the cover on the birdcage. So, the guy opens the cage and bites off the bird's head. In retaliation, the next day when he comes to breakfast, the wife is eating the dog's head which she'd cooked--at which point the guy starts barfing uncontrollably.
So what's not to like about this charming short film? Well, first, the film is all done in a sped-up manner with overdone sound effects--like it's some sort of cute cartoon. However, the special effects aren't cartoony--just gross. Had they maintained a more cartoon-like focus, this MIGHT have worked. So yes, the film is unnecessarily violent and gross--not just with the bird head and sheep's head (yes, they cooked a sheep head--not a dog for the scene where she's eating it), but the copious barfing. The man throws up again and again and you get closeups of the whole things. And, of course, the parallel between the pets and the couple is a great example of "sledgehammer symbolism" (as my daughter calls it)--where there is absolutely no subtlety at all and the point is so clear it's rather annoying.
Poorly executed, cruel, unfunny and amateurish--apparently the Sundance competition let one slip through the cracks with this short.
The film is done without dialog. A lady is working on making dinner, during which time you see a nasty dog growling at her pet bird. The dog and bird are a very obvious parallel to the relationship the lady has with her husband, as once he arrives, he does nothing but growl and behave menacingly (just like the dog). The lady tries to give him his food and beers quickly--she seems afraid he'll get angry unless she keeps him happy. Then, however, the bird begins singing from underneath the cover on the birdcage. So, the guy opens the cage and bites off the bird's head. In retaliation, the next day when he comes to breakfast, the wife is eating the dog's head which she'd cooked--at which point the guy starts barfing uncontrollably.
So what's not to like about this charming short film? Well, first, the film is all done in a sped-up manner with overdone sound effects--like it's some sort of cute cartoon. However, the special effects aren't cartoony--just gross. Had they maintained a more cartoon-like focus, this MIGHT have worked. So yes, the film is unnecessarily violent and gross--not just with the bird head and sheep's head (yes, they cooked a sheep head--not a dog for the scene where she's eating it), but the copious barfing. The man throws up again and again and you get closeups of the whole things. And, of course, the parallel between the pets and the couple is a great example of "sledgehammer symbolism" (as my daughter calls it)--where there is absolutely no subtlety at all and the point is so clear it's rather annoying.
Poorly executed, cruel, unfunny and amateurish--apparently the Sundance competition let one slip through the cracks with this short.
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