Bird - Film Review

Post

Subscribe

Despite being set in the decaying estates of North Kent and telling the story of children forced to come of age in extreme poverty, there is much joy and beauty to be found in British director Andrea Arnold's Bird. Arnold blends authentic drama with splashes of magical realism and absurdist humour, and the result is a strange and uneven film, but one which is compelling and vibrant as well.



The main character is 12-year-old Bailey (Nykiya Adams). Bailey lives in a graffiti-tagged squat with her single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) who early on announces that he is getting married to his girlfriend of three months. Heavily tattooed and often shirtless, Bug has no visible means of support – to pay for the wedding he has procured a toad whose secretions induce hallucinogenic reactions. Bug calls it his drug toad and hopes to profit from the toad's ooze.

So, no, Bailey does not enjoy anything close to a normal home life. Instead, she fills her days wandering the neighbourhood taking videos of things that catch her eye (birds are a particular interest). Bailey also spends time with her half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) who has recently graduated to commit vigilante violence. Bailey asks Hunter to get in on the violence but even he has enough sense to rebuff this idea.

The film's big swerve occurs when Bailey meets a strange man named Bird (Franz Rogowski). Appearing out of the blue, Bird dresses funny (he's wearing a skirt) and talks funny (he has a German accent), and Bailey is initially convinced he is a threat. But Bird just wants directions to a housing estate: he is looking for his parents. Learning his parents have moved on, he perches himself on the roof of the building. Bailey and Bird strike up a friendship of sorts, their lives intertwined, at least for a while.

With its mix of genres and out-there storyline, Bird is a hard-to-classify film. It does look and sound great, the cinematography a particular highlight. From the way the landscapes of the area are presented, to the rough-edged frame the film is presented in, the pictures have a wonderful, dream-like sheen to them. The banging British soundtrack isn't bad either.

The acting is uniformly fantastic. Nykiya Adams as Bailey offers a convincing portrait of a girl dealing with all the normal things a girl her age has to deal with, but with a support system consisting of Bug and his girlfriend, meaning Baily is incredibly naive and worldly at the same time. Barry Keoghan's turn as Bug is completely over the top and worth the price of admission alone.

Bird is by no means a cheery film - the brutal violence and abject poverty see to that - but by the end, it offers something near to happiness: an appreciation for family, and for those who help you in life. It is a film which will likely divide, especially with the questions it leaves open. But it is undoubtedly bold and brave. Much like Bailey herself.

Bird is in cinemas February 20.

%wneverywhere
#cinema
#performing_arts
#nightlife
#date_night
#film_tv_review