Birds of Paradise Review: Two Stars are Born

Birds of Paradise is a darkly alluring take on grief, set against the background of a prestigious French ballet academy.

The Amazon Prime drama stars Diana Silvers and Kristine Froseth as Kate and Marine (a.k.a “M”), a pair of American teenagers training at one of the world’s top-tier ballet academies, under the tutelage of Madame Brunelle, played by the legendary Jacqueline Bisset. 

Bisset, for her part, is criminally underused, spending most of the film quietly judging her dancers from afar. When she does get to interact with the leads, we’re treated to standout moments, one of Hollywood’s Golden Age stars mentoring the next generation.

Birds of Paradise plays out in five acts, a stylistic choice that pairs well when considered in comparison to an actual ballet. The five acts, loosely tied to stages of grief, are helped along by interspersed cut-ins of drug-induced, glitter-filled “club” dancing. 

Part Black Swan and part Dare Me, Birds of Paradise falls victim to some of the tired tropes similar dance films do: competing for the top spot, using people to further your own ambitions, and the underdog having to fight an upward battle against a system that prioritizes people of privilege.

Where Birds of Paradise turns the story on its head is in the relationship between the underdog and the star.

The twisted friendship between Kate and M is the shining star of this film and a testament to the talent of Silvers and Froseth. They play off each other beautifully and when their characters are on the love side of the love/hate relationship, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

For a film about dance, there’s too little of it. Silvers and Froseth, while stunning, lack the years of technical training it takes to believably win the prize, but the scenes featuring real dancers steal the show. I wish we had seen more partnering as opposed to solo work.

Speaking of partnering, it wouldn’t be a proper YA streaming drama without a sensual interlude. Apropos for a film based on one of the most seductive art forms, Kate and Marine’s relationship takes a bit of an erotic turn after M bares her scars for the other girl to see. 

In the annals of queer love stories, I wouldn’t consider M and Kate as a romantic pairing by any means. Their relationship is built on a sort of toxic need for each other, tinted by rose-colored glasses. It works in Birds of Paradise only because furthers the complexity of this female friendship.

What makes the film special gets torn apart when the story and the characters succumb to the competition and reality of the future they’re working toward.

Maybe it’s supposed to be shocking that doe-eyed Kate is the one to snap, but throughout the film she’s like Icarus, flying closer and closer to the sun. In the end, the ruthlessness doesn’t come as the surprise I was hoping for.

All that said, Birds of Paradise is still a deeply enjoyable, YA take on the hard-knock life of wannabe prima ballerinas. And though it’s not a suspenseful film by any means, there’s something haunting about the life ballet dancers pursue.

The dichotomy is evident in the film — while the tutus and their costumes are delicate and beautiful from the waist up, below the tulle, the pain that comes with dancing on pointe is harsh, demonstrated literally by the blood blisters, bruised feet, and the way they beat the slippers on the floor to break in a new pair.

The ambiguous ending will surely frustrate some, but it’s why I ultimately enjoyed Birds of Paradise. Films that force you to go back and think about what occurred previously are the ones that sit with you the longest. 

Ultimately, Birds of Paradise takes us on a trippy ride through the jungle and back, testing the characters and forcing them to figure out if the sacrifices they’ve made for their art have been worth it.

Silvers and Froseth give standout performances as the leads, Froseth just barely shining a bit brighter with heavier material to work with. The pair have bright futures in front of them, hopefully, full of more complex characters like M and Kate.

Their stories, along with the stunning set design (try to count all the decorative birds, bird calls, and birdcage motifs hidden throughout the film) and dances set to a soundtrack of classical and modern music makes Birds of Paradise a decent movie night pick.

Did you check out Birds of Paradise yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!

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Birds of Paradise is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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