News
Directors Alberto Vazquez, Pedro Rivero Talk “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children”
I was not entirely sure what I was in for when I sat down to watch Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, the Spanish animated film from Alberto Vazquez and Pedro Rivero. I had seen the trailer and was intrigued, but it gave very little away about the story, and I had purposefully not researched it ahead of time to avoid spoilers.
From almost the first moment, however, I was completely drawn in by the story, the colors, and most of all, the characters of this tension filled film. It seemed to walk a razor sharp edge between reality and fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
Birdboy: The Forgotten Children takes place on a secluded island that was devastated by a nuclear meltdown at their power plant. Dinki, an adolescent mouse, and her two friends have decided to try to escape the terrible place that is now overrun with drugs and violence. Meanwhile, Birdboy, a junkie who is only a child himself really, is hunted by the police.
Yes, this story is fantasy, but as Vazquez, who originally created the graphic novel that Birdboy is based upon, told me, it born from a situation that was all too real.
“I am from Galicia, an area in northwestern Spain, which in the 80s was the entry point of heroin and cocaine to Spain and part of Europe,” Vazquez told me via email. “Galicia is an area with a high unemployment rate and an industry based on fishing and the sea. At the same time, I drew this comic when I was very young and I was interested in talking about the only thing I knew in my life: adolescence.”
The animated film is filled with references and metaphors for Vazquez’s theme of adolescence including the use of the animal characters which, Rivero says has interested him since his own teenage years.
“I saw The Secret of NIMH when I was 16 years old,” he explained, “and it was a great influence [on me[ to create a microcosm of animals (something that I carried out in my two feature films).”
Birdboy is a beautifully textured film, much like The Secret of NIMH, with a vivid palette of colors, many of which relate to specific characters and their emotions. Dinki, the one seeming ray of hope in the film, is painted in light colors and pastels for instance, while Birdboy, who is simply black and white, is often shadowed and surrounded by deeper hues.
“As an art director I was very concerned about the use of color. The color has an expressive, symbolic treatment far removed from naturalism,” Vazquez says. “We try to do a narrative color. We take it as if it were an illustrated book, trying to incorporate textures and finishes typical of book design and not looking at what is done in other productions or the fashion of the moment. To do this, we follow a logic: the whole story traverses on the same day, from dawn to night and each scene had to reflect a time change, trying not to repeat the chromatic ranges. We use colors in the same range with some small elements of complementary color.”
Birdboy, as I pointed out, is black and white. He’s also the only truly silent character in the entire film. While many might be caught up in his drug use and the violence around him, it is another function on the island that he fulfills which stood out most to me. He can enter a place where the souls of the dead congregate, gathered around an all too real Tree of Life. As acorns drop from this massive tree nurtured by the dead, Birdboy collects them and takes them back into the living world to plant, slowly bringing life back to the island.
The local police never cease in trying to track down Birdboy. They believe him to be an evil personality and attempt to cease what he is doing to the island, never stopping to note that though he is flawed, some of his intentions might just be good. Rivero admits that Birdboy and his intentions are open to interpretation, but he did offer his own.
” In my opinion, Birdboy has crossed a threshold to endure the pain of the loss of his childhood; he has abandoned his ego completely emptying. While the other characters continue fighting for their survival, Birdboy has broken everything: his previous relationship with Dinki, his integration into the new world after the explosion,” Rivero wrote. “At the same time he is the heir -throughout his father’s history- of an alternative culture against the blind progress that despises the natural environment and he is persecuted for it. Perhaps only when we detach ourselves from our individuality and seek our connection with nature are we able to understand this and therefore establish a relationship with it that allows us to transcend the conventional barriers between life and death. Birdboy has entered a mystical world in which all beings have a voice that is not extinguished with death and that is the inheritance that he can leave to Dinki.”
Indeed, through a series of events I won’t go into in an effort to avoid spoilers, Dinki finds herself taking on Birdboy”s role as healer by the end of the film, and though the island’s horrors–rats who spend their days gathering copper and other valuables to sell for food, a corrupt police force, cult-like religious fervor, etc.–still exist, there is a certain amount of hope that she brings to the task.
Birdboy: The Forgotten Children is now showing in select movie theaters. For more information about the film, you can visit their official website. Check out the trailer below!
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
Movies
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
News
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
-
Trailers6 days ago
James McAvoy Captivates in the New Trailer for ‘Speak No Evil’ [Trailer]
-
Trailers5 days ago
Watch the trailer for ‘Under Paris,’ the movie people are calling ‘French Jaws’ [Trailer]
-
Movies7 days ago
Blumhouse & Lionsgate to Create New ‘The Blair Witch Project’
-
Trailers7 days ago
HBO’s “The Jinx – Part Two” Unveils Unseen Footage and Insights Into Robert Durst Case [Trailer]
-
Movies5 days ago
Ernie Hudson To Star In ‘Oswald: Down The Rabbit Hole’
-
News5 days ago
Paramount and Miramax Team Up to Reboot the “Scary Movie” Franchise
-
News2 days ago
Read Reviews For ‘Abigail’ The Latest From Radio Silence
-
Editorial3 days ago
Rob Zombie’s Directorial Debut Was Almost ‘The Crow 3’
You must be logged in to post a comment Login