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Birds of America

Name: Birds of America
Director: Jacques Lœuille
Released: 2022
Duration: 80 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2022

Director

Jacques Lœuille

Runtime

80 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Birds of America transforms a typical nature documentary into a multifaceted exploration of land and loss. It avoids a simplistic celebration of 19th-century naturalism by presenting a comparative structure that critiques the systemic impacts of Audubon's era. The film's primary strength lies in its historical revisionism. By incorporating the oral histories of displaced populations alongside Audubon’s visual legacy, it shifts from a singular Western perspective to a more nuanced, layered view of American history. While Birds of America effectively critiques racial and cultural issues, it falls short in exploring gender and LGBTQ+ identities. Additionally, it does not address disability or neurodivergent perspectives.

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Category Breakdown

Does Birds of America have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include any explicit references to LGBTQ+ characters or stories. Instead, it focuses on the history of birds and environmental changes.

How does Birds of America portray gender?

Fair

The story revolves around the historical figure Jean-Jacques Audubon, a male explorer. However, the inclusion of descendants of displaced people broadens the perspective beyond a single patriarchal viewpoint.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Birds of America?

Excellent

The film highlights the ability to act of Indigenous voices by allowing descendants to share their version of history. This approach challenges the Eurocentric focus of Audubon’s expeditions and addresses the impact of colonial expansion.

How does Birds of America represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The documentary contrasts Audubon’s vision with the realities of industrialization, highlighting the environmental and social costs of Western expansion. It presents a critical view of the relationship between progress and displacement.

Does Birds of America include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no indication that disability or neurodivergence is a central theme or featured element in this documentary.

Present on Screen

Highlights the ability to act of Indigenous voices by allowing descendants to share their history.
Critiques the environmental and social costs of Western industrialization.
Uses a multifaceted approach to challenge Eurocentric narratives.

Limited or Absent

Does not include explicit representations or narratives about LGBTQ+ identities.
Focuses heavily on a single historical male figure, limiting gender diversity.
Does not engage with disability or neurodivergent perspectives.

Official Synopsis

In the first half of the 19th century, the French ornithologist Jean-Jacques Audubon travelled to America to depict birdlife along the Mississippi River. Audubon was also a gifted painter. His life’s work in the form of the classic book ‘Birds of America’ is an invaluable documentation of both extinct species and an entire world of imagination. During the same period, early industrialisation and the expulsion of indigenous peoples was in full swing. The gorgeous film traces Audubon’s path around the South today. The displaced people’s descendants welcome us and retell history, while the deserted vistas of heavy industry stretch across the horizon. The magnificent, broad images in Jacques Loeuille’s atmospheric, modern adventure reminds us at the same time how little - and yet how much - is left of the nature that Audubon travelled around in. His paintings of the colourful birdlife of the South still belong to the most beautiful things you can imagine.

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