British auteur Andrea Arnold’s work has consistently captivated our screens, often allowing an intimate and heart-wrenching look into the young and deeply raw lives of working-class women. Known for her films American Honey, Fish Tank, and her Oscar-winning short film Wasp, her latest work, Bird, is no different in terms of brilliance, yet instead Arnold declares her latest muse as an adolescent girl. Recently having its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in September after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May (where it garnered a seven-minute standing ovation), Bird is guaranteed to pull at the audience’s heart through seamlessly blending working class struggles and violence with a fantasy twist.
Bird follows 12-year-old Bailey, portrayed by newcomer Nkiya Adams, who lives with her father, his new girlfriend, and her brother Hunter in a run-down and messy apartment in England. Facing a lack of attention from her father, portrayed by Barry Keoghan, and the struggles of her oncoming puberty and place in the world, she searches for adventure and life elsewhere. On one of her many exploration walks, she runs into the titular character Bird, played by Franz Rogowski who will change her life along with the magical realism aspects that will unfold within the story.
Arnold allows countless newcomers to have their moment to shine within the film, with only Barry Keoghan acting as the main star power. This is not only fabulous for the actors, but it also allows for the performances to be incredibly natural and rooted in a sense of realism, as the audience does not have any previous associations of the actors within the work. This is incredibly beneficial for German actor Franz Rogowski, and although he has been in successful films in the past such as Passages and A Hidden Life, Bird allows him a true moment to shine as an actor. Despite his strange nature, Bird’s character acts as the main source of compassion and hope in his relationship with Bailey in the film. Rogowski is magnetic and utterly irresistible within the runtime, leading to a strong sense of desire for him to return to the screen whenever he is not in a scene.
Bird is a testament to the specific ability of coming-of-age stories to be rooted in realism and struggle, while still maintaining strangeness and hope for the future. Perfectly confronting themes of girlhood, growing up, and class struggles, Arnold acts as an empathetic listener, letting the magical energy of the film unfold before your very eyes.
The film will be theatrically released by Mubi on November 8th, 2024.
