Typically, a film based on the life of a saint doesn’t involve blatant blasphemy. However, The Ornithologist has decided to break every single boundary while relating the director’s version of “the legend” of St. Anthony of Padua. In a review of the film, Daily Beast contributor Nick Schager calls the movie “equally pious and profane” that should be approached as a work of art. As he puts it, the plot is “best experienced with an open mind and a willingness (if not eagerness) to get lost
inside its strange, beguiling world.” Why would the Daily Beast be enthusiastic about something based on the life of a Catholic saint? Well, naturally, the plot “takes a more bizarre turn” than something that would be considered more traditional. It follows an ornithologist who is lost in northern Portugal, who ends up in several compromising situations. The main character, after witnessing the cult sacrifice of a wild hog, runs into a shepherd named Jesus, who is supposed to represent the actual figure of Jesus Christ. READ MORE
