Written and directed by Patrick Lloyd Green, with cinematography by Justin Gum, ‘The Birds Aren’t Real’ starts off like a standard comedy and ends up somewhere far darker, louder and stranger than you’d expect. It opens on Ezra, played by Utsav Astavakra, wide-eyed and wired, secretly scrolling through a conspiracy site while his girlfriend Amanda (Melek Karakus) is asleep. He believes that birds aren’t real – surveillance drones, government tracking – he believes it all, and he’s just found a meeting he wants to attend.
Ezra’s eccentricity is funny at first. He’s charming, jittery, convincingly obsessed, and Astavakra brings real charisma to the screen. Amanda doesn’t share his enthusiasm. But, when a bird drops onto their lawn. Ezra brings it inside. Amanda is disgusted. And this is when the tone shifts.
From here, the film picks up speed. Ezra is determined to prove the bird isn’t real. The moment he cuts it open, everything changes. Enter a secret agent. Enter high stakes. The horror kicks in, and the film takes a wild turn into violence, tension and action, all without losing its absurd sense of humor.
This is a short film that starts with a wink and ends with a slap. The production is flawless, the direction assured, and the pacing breathless once it hits second gear. It taps into conspiracy culture in a way that’s both ridiculous and genuinely unsettling.
Funny, tense and totally unhinged, ‘The Birds Aren’t Real’ is horror comedy done right. You’ll laugh, then wince, then wonder if maybe he was onto something after all. Unmissable viewing.
