The Ornithologist

During an observation mission on a river in northern Portugal, ornithologist Fernando is distracted by the flight of a bird and drifts into the rapids. Fei and Ling, two female Chinese tourists who’ve converted to Christianity, find him unconscious. The two women, who now believe in forest spirits, drug Fernando and tie him to a tree when they believe they’ve been cursed. He eventually works himself free and wanders through the forest, where he finds the front part of his kayak. Further on he sees the rear portion of the boat planted in the sand, surrounded by balloons and animal skulls. In the sand he finds his ID cards, with burned-out eyes in his photo. At night, the ornithologist ventures into the woods, where men dressed as birds dance around a fire during a ritual as strange as it is terrifying. Other surprises await the scientist, who will emerge from the adventure completely transformed.