Birds of Paradise is based on the young adult novel Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small. The Amazon Prime original showcases writer-director Sarah Adina Smith’s talents at bringing a level of subtle beauty to the ballet film. The lead actresses even went through three months of intense ballet training prior to filming in order to master the movie’s intricate choreography. Birds of Paradise’s cast of characters is led by Diana Silvers as Kate Sanders, who receives a scholarship to attend an elite ballet academy in Paris. She ends up rooming with Marine Durand (Christine Froseth), who are at odds with each other before becoming friends, and compeтιтors.

They make a pact that both of them will win the ballet compeтιтion or neither of them will take the contract. It all leads up to the finale, where audiences find out who wins, who loses, and, more importantly, the fate of both dancers. The movie utilizes тιтle cards throughout as a countdown to the compeтιтion, which helps to heighten the suspense. As the big day draws closer, viewers get sucked into the complications of Kate and Marine’s burgeoning relationship, and how that will affect the outcome of the contest.

What Happens In Birds Of Paradise’s Ending

The Compeтιтion Comes To A Shocking End With Marine Making A Major Choice

The entire movie leads up to the day of the compeтιтion, with the ᴀssumption that the dancers will perform in pairs. All the ballerinas covet the seductive Felipe (Daniel Camargo) as their partner because, according to Madame Brunelle (Jacqueline Bisset), a ballerina good enough to dance with Felipe is worthy of the Opéra national de Paris. Under the false impression that Marine got her scholarship revoked, Kate destroys Marine’s reputation by revealing a rumor about her and her brother having an incestuous relationship.

Initially, Marine gets to dance with Felipe, but, in a surprising twist, Marine decides to perform a solo piece and Felipe partners with Kate. Marine’s is an interpretive dance that is painful to watch for its emotional vulnerability, while Kate’s is romantically charged with strict adherence to the choreography. Shockingly, the judges have three envelopes to open. The first goes to Felipe, but then the second is an apprenticeship offered to Gia. Before Madame Brunelle can announce the winner, Marine abruptly forfeits and leaves, and Kate demands to know who the real winner would have been.

Three years later, Marine runs into Kate outside of her show. The two have a tense conversation before Marine tells her that she’s choreographing dances at the club, The Jungle. Marine informs Kate that she’s free now, and hopes Kate can be, too. Kate breaks down and apologizes, and the movie ends with Kate performing an interpretive dance for Marine, chronicling the story she was told when she was a child.

Who Really Won The Grand Prize In Birds Of Paradise

While Kate Won By Default, The Film Explores Beyond The Compeтιтion

Following Marine forfeiting the compeтιтion, Madame Brunelle announces Kate as the winner, albeit by default. What Birds of Paradise seems to be saying is that the real result doesn’t matter because what happens is final. However, on a deeper level, Marine is the only one who actually sticks to their pact. Kate makes an impᴀssioned command to admit who the real winner would have been; the judges sit in silence, and the scene changes to three years later.

When the ballerinas meet, Marine is obviously in a healthier place than Kate is, despite her success. In the end, Marine is the one who decides to let go and move forward with her life, while Kate stays stuck emotionally. In a lot of ways, Marnie was the true winner and the compeтιтion was a prelude to their lives moving forward.

Were Ollie & Marine Romantically Together?

Rumors Of Their Incestuous Relationship Have Lasting Ramifications For Marine

When Celine Durand (Caroline Goodall) finds her daughter Marine and son Ollie dancing in the living room, she impulsively believes the two are having an incestuous relationship. The consequences of this reach so far that Ollie takes his own life. When Marine entrusts this to Kate, she throws it back in her face by telling the entire Academy about the incident, breaking Marine’s trust and opening up old wounds about the death of her brother.

In the end, no one believes Marine, but it is possible that Marine and Ollie may have had a relationship built on co-dependence, which wasn’t healthy for either of them. Over the course of the film, audiences are inclined to trust Marine, and what she says about her relationship with Ollie. With that in mind, Birds of Paradise touches on themes of contemporary cultural topics, namely through a feminist lens, which certainly plays into the depiction of Ollie and Marine’s relationship.

Was The End Show In Birds Of Paradise Real?

The Film Suggests That It Is

The final sequence has Marine performing an interpretive dance at The Jungle. The dance is an adaptation of a story she was told when she was young about birds and the creation of the night sky. Coupled with Marine’s mantra — “Blessed is she who falls. Blessed is she who rises again.” — Kate plummets to the stage floor with a thundering crash and struggles to rise again, but eventually does.

The performance is symbolic of the film’s message, but it opens up the idea that the ending could not be real, instead some type of dream. Birds of Paradise suggests that the final dance is very real. Kate’s piece at The Jungle is foreshadowed throughout the entirety of the movie in the form of small vignettes. While it does seem that falling from such a great height would probably kill Kate, the performance is meant to be surreal in order to match Kate’s perception of her artistry.

Why Marine Was Set Free, But Not Kate

Kate’s Self-Destructive Tendencies Kept Her From Being Free Like Marine

Marine’s character arc throughout the movie is one of its biggest strengths. She starts out extremely impulsive, and upon meeting her in Birds of Paradise, she lashes out at Kate when Kate says that she heard her brother was “pushed off of a bridge,” not really knowing that she was talking about Marine’s twin. It’s doubtful that the two would become friends, not to mention, lovers. After an emotional conversation with Madame Brunelle, Marine takes on her new mantra and leaves her abusive mother’s home to go start over as a choreographer.

Kate’s character, on the other hand, faces a downward arc. She starts taking drugs to improve her dancing, and unwittingly sabotages other dancers in her way, while breaking her heartfelt pact with Marine. When she encounters Marine three years later, it is abundantly clear who has been set free and who hasn’t. Kate’s tearful apology does show hope for the ballerina and the final dance is representative of her encouraging future.

The Real Meaning Of Birds of Paradise’s Ending

Marine And Kate’s Stories Are A Catalyst For Greater Discussion

On the surface, Birds of Paradise is about redemption, letting go, and the dangers of extreme compeтιтion. This is brought to life in Marine’s total transformation, while it also personifies Kate’s experience. Marine is able to let go of her past and her grief over her brother’s tragic suicide by focusing on what she actually wants to do with her life. Kate sticks to her guns and falls further down the rabbit hole of dangerous ambition.

Under the surface, the movie explores themes of feminism and victim-blaming. The fact that whoever wins the compeтιтion is dependent on Felipe, proves the industry is still in need of some change regarding how it perceives women. Also, everyone’s disbelief in Marine’s side of the story is a chillingly accurate reflection of how society has a problem with believing women.

How Birds Of Paradise’s Ending Was Received

The Film’s Ending Was Definitely Divisive

While Birds of Paradise doesn’t reach the heights of other psychological ballet films such as Black Swan, it was still moderately received by critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 65%. The audience score tells a different story, as it sits at just 38%. Birds of Paradise‘s surreal ending was divisive, but that is the nature of the type of story it is trying to tell. It’s understandable that audiences could have that reaction to it, but it still attempts to bring together all the themes it was trying to explore throughout.

Still, Birds of Paradise is a haunting story about two women competing for the same goal, while taking two wildly different directions with its fulfillment. The ending brings completeness to the film, while also providing hope that Kate can face up to change in the future. While the movie never reveals the “true winner,” the final scene makes it clear who truly won in the game of real life.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes