In what could be described as a movie that lives in the same spiritual world as Daina Oniunas-Pusić’s Tuesday (2023), Andrea Arnold’s Bird, similar in vibes and tonal elements in storytelling, focuses on coming-of-age and growing up faster than needed or expected to. While Andrea Arnold usually does not hit it out of the park feature-wise for me, personally, this story truly comes to life and allows itself to breathe the necessity into the narrative thanks to the brilliant breakout performance from Nykiya Adams.
Franz Rogowski as Bird in BIRD. Photo Credit: Robbie Ryan. Photo courtesy of MUBI.
Bird, the feature, focuses on Bailey (Nykiya Adams) as she lives with her brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and father Bug (Barry Keoghan) as her mother’s home is no longer a safe space for her, yet her siblings still live there. While Bug is certainly not Father of the Year, the house is certainly a safer space, surprisingly. Bug is off living his life and getting married (for the who-knows-which-time) and expects and demands Bailey’s attendance, wanting her to dress to the nines for the occasion. While Bailey has all of zero interest in dressing for the festivities, or even wanting to be part of the ceremony, because she wants to live her life, be her own person, and wants to be the center of her father’s attention, she decides to rebel and a little bit of chaos starts to unravel. She befriends some local troublemakers to try and make her siblings’ lives better by getting rid of her mom’s newest flame who’s proven to be more than just problematic, but Bailey also gets herself involved in the trouble she should be steering clear of. However, not every decision Bailey makes is a bad one. She meets Bird (Franz Rogowski), who’s a whimsically odd fellow who befriends Bailey and helps ensure she doesn’t entirely get herself into situations she can’t escape from or that will get her in unredeemable trouble. The two end up creating a unique and unexpected friendship which carries throughout the film and blurs the lines of possible reality and coping mechanisms in the whimsical, heartbreaking, grounded story that Arnold gifts audiences in Bird.
Nykiya Adams as Bailey in BIRD. Photo Credit: Atsushi Nishijima. Photo courtesy of MUBI.
Andrea Arnold typically likes to make movies that are focused on the American Dream (American Honey) or navigating the hardships of being a twelve-year-old having to become an adult and be self sufficient, protect their siblings and, to an extent, themselves (Bird). While both situations can be relatable for a lot of people, they certainly are movies that hit you in the soul and heart or completely miss the mark all together; there never seems to be a middle ground with stories that focus on these elements. Personally, American Honey (2016) entirely missed the mark for me, but Bird hit me so much after the fact. Letting the movie digest and sit with me, it still lingers and crawls in my soul. There is something powerful that needs to manifest itself after the credits role in the audience for the movie to have the effect and hold it takes on the audience, but it creates that atmosphere for the audience effortlessly.
Barry Keoghan as Bug in BIRD. Photo courtesy of MUBI.
While Arnold’s movies may not be for everyone, there is not an ounce of deniability that her casts bring everything to the forefront and bring performances that can only be described as ingenious, genuine, and heartfelt. While Barry Keoghan (Saltburn; The Banshees of Inisherin) may the biggest and most recognizable name in Bird, he plays the distanced and disassociated father excellently, but he’s far from the star. The entire movie hinges on Nykiya Adams and Franz Rogowski (A Hidden Life), while the former has not had a published credit prior to her performance in Bird. People talk about star-making performances all the time, and how we get to see someone leave their mark on a project that will be talked about for ages. Adams does that; her performance feels so incredibly genuine and heartfelt that it is hard not to rally behind Bailey and hope she finds what she is looking for and achieves her dreams. Franz Rogowski bridges the adult character and the child character perfectly. It’s safe to assume most everyone at one point in their life has gone through something where they’ve had to grow up quicker than they wanted to; Bird perfectly captures those moments.
Franz Rogowski as Bird in BIRD. Photo Credit: Atsushi Nishijima. Photo courtesy of MUBI.
Bird is simple yet effective because of the care that Andrea Arnold takes in her direction and script, which is brilliantly performed by Nykiya Adams, Franz Rogowski, and Barry Keoghan. Everyone brings more than 200% to their roles, making one of the most heartfelt and endearing movies of the year. Bird is a spiritual journey that is a darling of a movie that is either going to sit with audiences forever, or be unable to connect with the audience at all; there is not a middle ground, this but it is certainly one for the books.
Screening during Toronto International Film Festival 2024.
In U.S. theaters November 8th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Toronto International Film Festival 2024 Bird webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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