By Claudia Siefen
Maybe you are familiar with the story of the Three Wise men Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar walking their long enfeebling path searching for the little child supposed to be the saviour and king of the world? Well, maybe sometimes you asked yourself what happened during that journey. What did they talk about, the three guys, what did they eat and where did they hang out? Were they ever bored and did they ever think of packing up their job? Serra’s film is beautifully shot in black and white and tells us so much about growing up, the burden of responsibility and also about true friendship with a surrealistic joke here and there, with some black humour and also with tenderness.
The humour, when the wise men are lost and actually walk around in circles. There is something tenderly profane about that. So where was their sacred certainty? Where was the star to guide them?
El cant dels ocells is not a film about faith but about faith in the film, Serra said in an interview. The title is based on a poem by Catalan composer and cellist Pau Casals (1876-1973). It represents a dialogue between birds, tweeting and discussing the birth of Jesus:
…“El xut, també el mussol,
en veure eixir el sol,
confosos se retiren;
el gamarús i el duc
diuen: – Mirar no puc;
tals resplendors m’admiren.“
But choosing that song Serra captures everything that is important in life: it is a long trip and sometimes you might forget what you have been actually looking for. There is always a lot to talk about, everyone will have their very own view on everything. In the end there will be no more words to say, and it is only the melody that will stay. And then you will never forget what you have found.