Psiconautas, los niños olvidados

I recently was lucky to grab a seat in it's limited English release in NYC and I'm very glad I went out of my way to watch it. NYC theaters are loud and responsive, it spoke well of this film that the audience grew quiet and attentive 20 minutes in. While the film has it's comedy and of course features solely animated animals, it reaches amazing depths and tells a fully entertaining and visually captivating story. There is nothing immature or young about this film. The animation is wonderful and feels wholly original without shoving style into your face. The writing is superb and crisp, never feeling heavy handed nor childish. Each character has its own story, even if you don't get to see it, you feel their story through their design and dialogue. I was amazed to learn this was the two directors first feature length film, and while it is based on Vasquez's own comic (which explains their talent in story telling and character development) the ability to translate the story to a fully engaging film. I'm very excited to see what comes out of this team in the future.

I don't know what to write. Just watch it... It is a bit too dark maybe, our world is (still) not that bad, still not inhabitat that much by the demons in our head.

Reviews say that this is not for kids. They are right, it is already hard for a caring grow up to watch. But if there would be less violence shown in the movie, I am sure many kids would love and understand this movie, because all kids wants to enjoy life and doesn't like parents that seem to care about you but instead act like an Matrix agent. And kids like nature, because they don't have self-hatred.

The film although represents world without hope, has a good message. It says: 'You can not solve the problems by running from them, there is always happiness and beauty within where you live. Just find it and spread it.

In popular media, sometimes the most obscure can pick up one's interest. That came when I randomly encountered the Blu-ray of a 2015 Spanish film called "Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Psiconautas, los niños olvidados)". It is based on a comic by Alberto Vázquez and serves as sort of a sequel to a short film made by him and Pedro Rivero simply titled "Birdboy" (can be found on youtube), which I recommend seeing if you want some extra context (though the film itself works without it).

Plot: An industrial accident turns a once peaceful island of anthropomorphic animals into a harsh, near-lifeless dystopia. The orphaned outcast Birdboy tries to get by in life and keep the demon inside him locked away. Meanwhile, his loving friend, a mouse named Dinky, plans to leave the island with her friends to start fresh in the outside world. Little do both know that their destinies are intertwined in ways they cannot imagine.

Full warning: This is NOT a kids movie. It's a world that embraces the dark and macabre with elements of drugs, blood+violence, language, and minor sexual elements. The society is one of denial, desperation, corruption, and waste, rotting inside and out. But, the film's tagline "There is light and beauty, even in the darkest of worlds" is present in different ways such as Birdboy's beautiful grotto, Little Fox, and small humorous touches, fragments of hope for the forsaken island that may or may not come to pass. The art style would make Tim Burton proud, decay and dark shadows at nearly every corner with simplistic character designs that often fit their thematic relevance and lifestyles. Abundant themes are woven into both the world and narrative such as addiction, adolescence, environmentalism, conformity, freedom, prejudice, family troubles, and the darkness within us, all seen from the perspectives of the two protagonists. I also gotta give props to the music, the emotional tone of which is a mix of eerie and soothing.

Birdboy is one of the most unique and intriguing fictional characters I've seen, silent and reclusive yet so full of nuance and pathos. He's flawed but he persists in bettering things even when the world and his frightening demon are against him. Dinky complements him with her desire for a new life, seeing nothing of value beyond those closest to her and doing what she can to achieve her goal. While not seen together that much, their relationship drew me in. The side characters are also interesting with their own problems, though I felt that a couple of them could've used more development such as Dinky's friend Sandra who suffers from schizophrenia.

"Birdboy: The Forgotten Children" is a creature unlike any other, both strange and inviting. It managed to win Best Animated Feature among other awards and, for me, it's easy to see why. I was regaled and intellectually challenged by this one. If you want to try a new visual experience, then give this and the prequel short film a watch. Just keep it away from children.

It's hard to watch this film and finish it and think of any other that is similar to it. Truly, a very unique piece of animation that ventures into the horror category in ways films like Coraline (which could be deemed as "animated horror) did not. The voice acting is amazing and expressive, and the animation does so much to really portray this very unique and distinct voice. This is surely a film that needs to be seen and congratulated.

Bird Boy: The Forgotten Children (2015) is a Spanish animated picture based on a graphic novel and is currently available on Shudder. The storyline follows a world where animals walk and talk and some horrific events have taken place historically. The Bird Boy is known to be a menace by the local law enforcement but not everyone thinks so, and everyone would love to see and find him, for better or worse. Meanwhile, Bird Boy has his own inner demons and depression he's trying to overcome while keeping the woodlands safe. As Bird Boy looks for hope society looks to destroy him.

This movie is codirected and co-written by Pedro Rivero (directorial debut) and Alberto Vázquez (Unicorn Wars). Vázquez also wrote the graphic novel. NOTE: this movie is in subtitles. The storyline, settings and characters are unique and really capture the imagination. The dialogue is deep and smart as is the depiction of the various characters, their perspectives and inner demons. Seeing smoking 🚬 animals definitely had me cracking up. Every scene with the crow and spider was intense and well done. The backstory on Bird Boy was sad but entertaining and the various shooting and killing scenes were excellent. The use of the mice and the entire ending was perfectly done.

Overall, this contained the darkness and entertainment value of a Tim Burton film...but in Spanish. I would score this a 9/10 and strongly recommend it.