Serving the Front Range music community for over 40 years Expanding our Electric Line with Classic Danelectro Guitars & Pedals
Rock Out in Retro Style!
Pairs Well with Vox Amplifiers! 3101 28th St, Tebo Plaza, Boulder
The surrealistic Godfather
hbwoodsongs.com
MARGARITA MONDAYS TACO TUESDAYS WHISKEY & WINE WEDNESDAYS THIRSTY THURSDAYS FRIDAY FLIGHT NIGHT LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS
Magical realism meets the drug trade in ‘Birds of Passage’
by Michael J. Casey
B
ON THE BILL: BIRDS OF irds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) — from PASSAGE, April 16 & 17, Colombian directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro 7:30 p.m. International Film Guerra — is a masterpiece. Go see it. Series, Muenzinger Auditorium, 1905 Colorado Need more? Very well, here’s the story: Set in Ave., Boulder. Colombia and spanning the years 1969 to 1980, Birds is divided into five sections, songs really, that recount the tale of ancient rituals, tight-knit tribes and the sudden and violent encroachment of capitalism thanks to the profitability of the drug trade. Like most stories depicting the rise and fall of an empire, Birds begins with an attraction. Specifically between the young Zaida (Natalia Reyes) and the bachelor Rapayet (José Acosta) at Zaida’s coming out ceremony. With a flurry of images that both disorient and enchant, Gallego and Guerra invoke Dante’s first encounter with Beatrice in Vita Nuova: “Here is a God stronger than I who come to rule over me.” Zaida and Rapayet are Wayuus — the indigenous tribe of northern Colombia — and Rapayet lacks the dowry necessary to wed. He teams with close friend Moises (Jhon Narváez) to hustle booze, then coffee and, finally, marijuana to visiting Americans so he can purchase the goats, cattle and necklaces required for Zaida’s hand. Once turned on, Rapayet and Moises find that the marijuana trade is like a fire hose out of control. Suddenly the hills and deserts of Colombia are flooded with money not easily turned off or controlled. Riches may accumulate fast, but violence is always faster, and an empire built upon sand threatens to destroy millenniums worth of ritual and culture. The past always stands to be lost in the face of progress, and the surrounding Wayuu tribes are not going to stand idly by. Historically speaking, the Wayuus held off Spanish conquistadors in the 18th century, and a couple of machine gun maniacs aren’t going to scare them off now. At the center of this storm: Rapayet, a kingpin who is no Michael Corleone. Haunted by past actions, dreams and an ever-present specter of death that takes the form of a bird, Rapayet is a man in over his head. As the action unfolds, Rapayet has a shotthrough look as if he wandered off the pages of a Gabriel García Márquez novel and found himself on the set of The Godfather as directed by Luis Buñuel. To reiterate, Birds of Passage is a masterpiece. Coming off 2015’s equally dreamy Embrace of the Serpent, directors Gallego and Guerra worked closely with Wayuu advisors to faithfully capture the details of the culture. They took those details, decorated them with surrealistic imagery and infused them with flavors so familiar no audience should feel estranged. Sure, you’ve seen a hundred movies about crime families; you’ve probably even seen hundreds more about the perils of drug trafficking. But not like this. It’s like a song so familiar you swear you’ve heard it before. But you haven’t, and now you can’t forget it. BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
303.449.0516
I
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY FOLLOW US IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTION OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR SCHEDULING
1149 13th St. Boulder, CO • 303.443.2300 • www.tacojunky.com
healthy eyes. healthy body.
C omprehensive e ye C are s erviCes Dr. Terri Oneby has nearly 30 years of experience in vision, medical and urgent eye care. She combines modern technology with a careful clinical examination to provide solutions to each individual using the latest knowledge and treatments available. From contact lenses and glasses to advanced treatment for glaucoma and dry eye syndrome, Dr. Oneby can help.
Call 303-443-4545
or visit bouldervisioncenter.com Dr. Terri Oneby
Boulder Vision Center
arapahoe and 28th street
- buffalo village
most insuranCe plans aCCepted APRIL 11, 2019
I
39