‘Birds of Paradise’ review: Dir. Sarah Adina Smith (2021)

The novel Bright Burning Stars by A. K. Small has now been adapted into the film Birds of Paradise. Adapted and directed by Sarah Adina Smith, the film stars Diana Silvers and Kristine Froseth and tells a tangled tale of competition, friendship, and adolescence within the confines of a prestigious Parisian ballet school. The story begins as Kate (Silvers), an American, joins an elite ballet school in Paris. She instantly gets off on the wrong foot with fellow dancer Marine (Froseth), who is still grieving the loss of her brother. The animosity doesn’t last however, and the pair quickly form an intense bond, which leads them to vow to support one another in the very competition that threatens to rip them apart. As the prize, a contract to join Opéra national de Paris, draws closer, Kate and Marine struggle to maintain their relationship as their friendship comes under threat. 

Froseth and Silvers are two young actors on the rise. Both of them are currently coming off of high-profile projects (Froseth was in The Society, and Silvers appeared in both Ma and Booksmart) and in Birds of Paradise they demonstrate bright futures ahead of them. The connection between the pair is electric and immediately draws the viewer in. Writer and director Sarah Adina Smith adapted the book knowing that Silvers and Froseth were attached, and so wrote the characters with them in mind. This astute writing from Smith, combined with the intricate performances from both leads, makes it almost impossible to work out where the actor ends and the character begins. The pair also had to actually learn to dance for their roles, and whilst doubles were used to showcase some of the trickier ballet maneuvers, it is hard to differentiate between cast and dancer on the whole.  

Smith already has an impressive body of work, and though many have seen her work on Amazon series Hanna, few will have experienced her feature films. If you haven’t familiarised yourself with films such as The Midnight Swim, Buster’s Mal Heart, and the Mother’s Day section of horror anthology Holidays then you really are missing out on a potent collection of stories. Each is unlike the other and proves Smith to be somewhat of a chameleon when it comes to traversing genres. The hard work poured onto the screen in Birds of Paradise is clear and the world that Smith has created is one that you’ll immediately want to disappear into. 

Early on in the film a character remarks that ballerinas are warriors of pain, and Birds of Paradise certainly highlights this. The pain here though isn’t the usual ballet anguish of broken toes and lost toenails (that does happen, but is kept more in the background), but rather the emotional torment that comes from the strictly disciplined world of a dancer. When you then add in the tumultuous ups and downs of teenage life you have all the perfect ingredients for a richly layered analysis of the hardships of finding oneself amidst ever-increasing pressure. 

What makes the issues and topics explored within Birds of Paradise so accessible is that they are explored in an environment that has a strange dreamlike quality to it. This isn’t the hyper-realistic teen world of a film like Larry Clark’s Kids, or Catherine Hardwicke’s Thirteen, there is a mixture of orange glow and neon sheen that envelopes everything and transcends the story to another plane. Shaheen Seth’s cinematography is beautiful. Whilst most of the story plays out with the ancient halls of the school, Kate and Marine also frequent an underground dance club called Jungle. Here the visuals embrace full on fantasy and the dance sequences played out in this environment are glittery and gorgeous. These sequences shift the world from the restricted to the free, and it’s a joy to watch these dances unfold in all their neon-soaked beauty. It’s as if we step into another universe, one breathtaking in its beauty, and it is sure to capture the attention of many aspiring filmmakers.  

Films that target a younger market often talk down to their audience, but Smith approaches her target demographic from a more mature angle, and thus treats them with respect. What some might write off the film as a teen Black Swan, Birds of Paradise is a complex and enchanting story of friendship that actually feels more like a coming-of-age story akin to The Neon Demon, minus the bloodthirst. A genuinely exceptional movie that tackles key issues around growing-up, friendships, and the destructive nature of competition, Birds of Paradise also opens itself up to an older audience without making them feel silly for watching a film based around young adults. Hypnotically beautiful and hauntingly enticing, Birds of Paradise is the alluring combination of compelling storytelling, stunning visuals, and incredible performances. 

Birds of Paradise will be available on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 24th September.