Summary
Andrea Arnold brings a raw, magical exploration of family, rebellion, and unexpected connections, anchored by stunning performances and breathtaking visual storytelling.
Sometimes you go to the cinema to simply watch a story. Other times, you’re entirely transported into someone else’s world, walking a few miles in their shoes, feeling their heartbeat. That’s always been the superpower of Andrea Arnold, who returns to squat flats after taking us on a sublime journey in American Honey.
In BIRD , 12-year-old Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams) lives with her single dad, Bug (Barry Keoghan), and brother, Hunter (Jason Buda), in North Kent. Bug’s impending marriage to his relatively new girlfriend, Debs (Joanne Matthews), pushes Bailey into increasingly rebellious territory.
Much like Arnold’s Fish Tank, BIRD explores complex relationships between youth and distracted parents, which become even more tangled with the arrival of a third party. Here, instead of the Fassbender figure, the role belongs to the enigmatic Bird (Franz Rogowski), a free spirit in search of lost parents who takes Bailey on a journey to unexpected places.
Rogowski’s Bird has an impish touch; his understated performance creeps up like an emotional body blow. He arrives on a strong wind like a modern-day Mary Poppins, often see perched on rooftops and balanced on fences. His presence coincides with major life changes for Bailey, and were it not for his interactions with other characters, we might be left wondering if he’s really there at all.
Meanwhile, Keoghan’s Bug is Bird’s polar opposite—he loves as big as he parties. Covered head to toe in tattoos, he’s rough around the edges and his attempts to bridge the gap between Debs and Bailey are well-meaning but misguided. His financial plan is selling drug slime from a toad. Yet we still get the sense he’s trying to do the right thing. (Plus, his karaoke may do for Blur’s The Universal what Saltburn did for Murder on the Dancefloor). The backstory between him and Bailey’s estranged mother (Jasmine Jobson) is never fully explained, but we know Bailey continues some form of relationship with her stepsisters.
Ultimately, the film is driven by young Adams’ singular performance, and it’s rare to see a story that feels as grounded yet as magical as this one. Regular collaborator Robbie Ryan, also often Ken Loach’s cinematographer, deftly balances the harsh realities of the characters’ lives with moments of miniature beauty and small miracles.
BIRD is, at times, a confronting watch with raw emotions on full display. Arnold’s willingness to push boundaries in telling this modern fable makes its peaks all the more soaring. It’s a grand piece of magical realism and unquestionably one of the year’s best.
2024 | UK, France, Germany, USA | DIRECTOR: Andrea Arnold | WRITERS: Andrea Arnold | CAST: Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Jason Buda, Jasmine Jobson, Frankie Box, James Nelson-Joyce | DISTRIBUTOR: Mubi (USA/UK), British Film Festival, Mushroom Studios (Australia) | RUNNING TIME: 119 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 8 November 2024 (USA/UK), 6 November 2024 (British Film Festival)
