Bird
November 6th, 2024
MOVIE: BIRD
STARRING: NYKIYA ADAMS, FRANZ ROGOWSKI, BARRY KEOGHAN
DIRECTED BY: ANDREA ARNOLD
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 119 MINUTES
The films of Andrea Arnold are always an experience. They take you through the highs and lows, the joy and sorrow, the raw sting of reality—everything that makes up the messiness of being alive. Fish Tank, Arnold’s breakthrough film, captured the turbulent life of a 15-year-old girl in low-income housing, struggling with her mother’s new boyfriend. She followed that up with American Honey, a film that I consider one of the greatest representations of life in America. After that, Arnold invited us to see the world through the eyes of a cow in Cow, a visceral portrayal of animal life. Throughout all her films, Arnold has sought to inject empathy into our veins. If the purpose of cinema is to help us step into someone else’s shoes (or hooves), then Arnold is one of the best at doing just that.
Her most recent film, Bird, once again immerses us in the life of a young woman. But this time, she introduces a touch of the fantastical, while still probing the human condition and the complexities of existence.
The lead character is Bailey (played by newcomer Nykiya Adams), a 14-year-old living in Kent, England. She occupies a house that’s not hers, with her brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and their father Bug (a tatted-up Barry Keoghan). From the start, we notice the cracks in their world: the scattered trash, the sense of disorder, and the unpredictability that defines Bailey’s life. Her mother, Peyton (Jasmine Jobson), lives on the other side of town with a new, abusive boyfriend and a handful of other kids. Bailey, caught between these fractured worlds, is desperately trying to find her place.
When she encounters a man named Bird (Franz Rogowski), he tells her that he’s returned to find his family. But the crux of the film hinges on the question of whether Bird is real. Is he a figment of Bailey’s imagination? A guardian angel, sent to help her? Or simply a kind stranger offering assistance? Arnold leaves this open to interpretation, skillfully blending the raw, emotional honesty of her story with small details that blur the line between reality and fantasy. Though Bird might not carry the same emotional weight as some of Arnold’s earlier works, it still feels deeply authentic, exploring the heartache of broken families with a delicate touch. I found myself grateful for Bird’s presence—he’s the only one willing to offer Bailey the affection and support that no one else can.
The film opens with Bailey standing on a bridge, watching birds in the sky, contemplating what it would be like to be free. Freedom is a recurring theme in Arnold’s work. In American Honey, we see it in the bonds formed between Sasha Lane’s character and her group of traveling salespeople. In Cow, we witness a cow’s fleeting joy as it leaves its pen and runs through a wide-open field. Bailey, too, is in search of that sense of freedom. She finds it in Bird—whether he is real or imagined, he becomes a protector, someone who can relate to her pain and offer her a sense of connection.
In terms of comparison to Arnold’s other films, Bird is slightly weaker, mainly in its pacing and runtime. However, it still captures that signature authenticity that has become a hallmark of her work. Arnold, like Agnes Varda, Werner Herzog, or John Cassavetes, creates films that are meant to be experienced, not just watched. Bird might not soar quite as high as her previous films, but it still flies with grace.
3 ½ STARS
BIRD IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8TH, 2024.
Written by: Leo Brady
