THE BIRD OF HAPPINESS

Pilar Miro's work was last seen here when her film “Wether” was presented at the 12th CIFF (1988). Like that film, THE BIRD OF HAPPINESS deals with the problems of a strong-minded independent woman who decides to take her fate into her own hands. Based on an original script by Mario Camus and featuring the superb lead performance by Mercedes Sampietro (who has becoem a sort of alter ego for Miro), the narrative eschews any kind of hardline feminist stand, concentrating instead ona woman's quest for purpose in life. Carmen is a strong and attractive woman in her fifties who restores paintings. A brutal rape attempt serves as the catalyst for her to ask what she really cares about in life. Carmen attempts to retreat into solitude and into her work, but life re-enters her world in the persons of her daughter-in-law and her baby grandson. Miro offers a balanced, complex, and humane portrait of the dilemma faced by Carmen; she must confront her past in order to embrace her future.-Kit Kalfs. In Spanish with English subtitles