Despite it being critically acclaimed, Mikhail Red's Birdshot (2016) is not all that well-known. It tells the story of a young farm girl called Maya, who lives in the countryside and one day accidentally kills a Philippine eagle - a majestic species which is revered by all in the country. Because of this, the country assigns two crack investigators to determine who killed the birds (as well as why a group of farmers disappeared on their way to Manilla).
When it was released, Birdshot received tremendous critical acclaim. Richard Kuipers of Variety called it "A gripping combination of police procedural and coming-of-age drama." Panos Kotzathanasis of Asian Movie Pulse wrote that "'Birdshot' is a very entertaining film, which could have been a masterpiece of the mainstream if not for some faults on the narrative. However, it is a more than encouraging effort for both Mikhail Red and Mary Joy Apostol."
