Review: Bird

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Official synopsis: Bailey (Nykiya Adams) lives with her brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and her father Bug (Barry Keoghan), who raises them alone in a squat in northern Kent. Bug doesn't have much time to devote to them. Bailey looks for attention and adventure elsewhere.

After a short stint of directing TV shows and a documentary about a cow, Andrea Arnold is back with another feature film about the underclass. This time we follow young Bailey and she comes of age in poverty and meets a wayward man who calls himself Bird (Franz Rogowski)

I have to admit I started getting Tideland flashbacks during Bird and Bailey's introduction, but thankfully Arnold does NOT go in that direction at all. Bailey is forced to be more responsible than her 12 years calls for. She's rightfully wary of Bird right away, but when he explains who he's looking for, she sets out to help him. He's not the only person Bailey tries to help along the way. It's wild to have a child Bailey's age like I do, and to think of yours having to function this way. I was sad for her, and I never stopped hoping for something better to come along.

Adams is very natural in this role. Arnold has a knack for finding people like her and Katie Jarvis in Fish Tank. They feel like they're made for the roles they play. Rogowski is also very good as Bird. He plays him in a unique way. It's different from the other films I've seen him in. Barry Keoghan, who is probably the biggest draw to the film aside from Arnold herself is also way too comfortable playing a deadbeat dad. He's not in the film much, but he has a great moment later in the film that I loved. 

Bird feels a little derivative of Arnold's earlier work, but it's paced well and doesn't suffer from an overlong run time the way American Honey did. Even if you're not a fan of her work, it's still worth checking out.

Bird is currently available to stream on Mubi. I have a referral link  for you to get a 30 day free trial if you want. (Oscar nominees The Substance and The Girl With The Needle are currently streaming there as well)

Grade: B

Comments

  1. BirgitJanuary 30, 2025 at 11:17 AM

    It's sad when someone young must be an adult. It does follow them for life but, you hope it makes her better.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thevoid99January 30, 2025 at 1:33 PM

    I do hope to see this eventually as it will get me at 100% on Arnold until her next project.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 30, 2025 at 3:21 PM

      I'm pretty close to being 100% watched with her too. I need to double check Mubi again.

      Delete

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