85
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThough 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.
- 100Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonThough 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.
- 90VarietyJay WeissbergVarietyJay WeissbergThe Ornithologist is deliciously subversive and genuinely funny.
- 85Paste MagazinePaste MagazineThere 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.
- 83The Film StageEthan VestbyThe Film StageEthan VestbyIt’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.
- 80CineVueBen NicholsonCineVueBen NicholsonIt'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.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe 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.
- 70The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyMr. Rodrigues ultimately delivers an intriguing, daring film that is likely to surprise both his fans and moviegoers unfamiliar with his work.
- 58The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyPerhaps 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.