The Ornithologist
Strand Releasing | Release Date: June 23, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
85
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJun 29, 2017
The Ornithologist” is both an opaque narrative and a deeply inviting one. Even as the film commences a series of radical formal and dramatic mutations, you are held rapt by the steadiness of the camera’s gaze and the sublime, sun-dappled beauty that it invariably discovers. Read full review
100
Village VoiceMelissa AndersonJun 20, 2017
Though full of mysteries, and, like all of Rodrigues’s work, consistently unpredictable from scene to scene, The Ornithologist may be the director’s most conventional narrative. Read full review
100
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijJan 3, 2017
Though clearly not a proposition for either devout Christians or audiences for whom the multiplex is a temple, this is the kind of take-no-prisoners art house fare that advances and deepens the understanding of a singular director’s oeuvre as a whole. Read full review
91
IndieWireEric KohnJan 3, 2017
Mind-blowing in the best possible way, The Ornithologist may not work for everyone, but those willing to embrace its puzzling ingredients will find a rewarding solution: further confirmation of a genuine film artist. Read full review
90
VarietyJay WeissbergJan 3, 2017
The Ornithologist is deliciously subversive and genuinely funny. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNick AllenJun 23, 2017
There's always something to ponder with this film, which gets stranger and more polarizing as it goes along. Read full review
85
Paste MagazineKyle TurnerJun 22, 2017
There are times during João Pedro Rodrigues’s newest film, The Ornithologist, wherein you can’t tell if it’s all a big sexy joke or if it’s an earnest, religious and intellectual inquiry into the boundaries of spiritual and physical adventure. There’s enough evidence in the film...to argue that it’s both. Read full review
83
The Film StageEthan VestbyJan 3, 2017
It’s clear the film may be a goof on Rodrigues’ part, but good thing it’s at least funny enough to not just sustain, but build its laughs to the very end. Read full review
80
CineVueBen NicholsonJan 3, 2017
It's a film swimming in symbolism, transgressive eroticism and perplexing details that will infuriate some audiences but for others will add to its irresistible allure. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJul 5, 2017
The Ornithologist has its pleasures. Perhaps one day Rodrigues will turn his considerable talent and unique approach to a portrait of the real-life St. Anthony, in the way that Roberto Rossellini paid tribute to his hero in “The Flowers of St. Francis.” Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJun 28, 2017
The film revels in a hushed and lucid expressionist naturalism that’s reminiscent of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 23, 2017
The Ornithologist is so stunningly strange and out of its time that this slow and deliberate film holds your attention, making you wonder what wonder or calamity will befall Fernando next. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyJun 22, 2017
Mr. Rodrigues ultimately delivers an intriguing, daring film that is likely to surprise both his fans and moviegoers unfamiliar with his work. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJun 21, 2017
Perhaps The Ornithologist lends itself so well to scholarly unpacking because it has too little of its own to offer. Maybe it’s healthier to just enjoy the light bouncing from the water to Hamy’s abs. Read full review
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