Screening: The Birds/Fuglane International Premiere

In this special premiere screening at Scandinavia House with a presentation by director Anders T. Andersen, ASF is proud to share a new film based on the award-winning novel by Tarjei Vesaas. The Birds tells the story of Mattis, a mentally disabled man who is cared for at a small lakeside cottage by his lonely older sister, Hege, where he spends much of his time trying to decipher the ways of nature. When one day a lumberjack arrives and disrupts their routine, isolated existence — by falling in love with, and developing a romantic relationship with, his sister Hege — Mattis becomes increasingly fearful that he will be abandoned.

With his limited understanding of what independence would mean for him, Mattis turns to the symbols and signs of the nature around him to discover a way to live in a world where he’s often felt unwanted. And in studying the unpredictable power of nature, his discoveries may have unsettling, profound results. Directed by Anders T. Andersen (Norway, 2019).