Bird

This film breaks conventions with its cinematography, using shaky, dynamic, and fast-paced shots. It's a stylistic choice I both loved and hated. The aspect ratio and filming format added an aesthetic that perfectly matched the film's gritty, raw tone. The plot is a montage of clips that feels nostalgic, weaving love, hate, drama, and conflict into Bailey's story.

The soundtrack, a fusion of rock, ambient, UK hip-hop, and indie, is another standout element, immersing you in the culture the film portrays. I was fascinated by the insights into Bailey's life - how she lives, the people she meets, and the culture that shapes her world. It's so removed from the experience of an average middle-class person, making it feel authentic and intimate.

At times, the narrative shifts between characters, leaving me unsure about the film's focus. Still, it's refreshing to see a story centered on flawed, raw characters. We're used to polished films with beautiful people, but Bird embraces the messy and the ugly - and finds beauty in it. The film feels deeply personal, leaving me with shared emotions and mixed feelings. While it may not resonate for everyone, its (symbolic) meaning is its true strength.

I'm from North Kent and I have thought about whether that biased my review.

But ultimately I think because I have first hand knowledge of all the locations and indeed the type of people shown I can confidently say this is one of the most believable portrayals of an area I've ever seen.

The use of mystery and mystical elements give this tale a unique twist and one that I've fell head over heels for.

The acting is truly amazing with the cast managing to stir a plethora of emotions in me.

This film is funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking and very intense.

I truly think Andrea Arnold could nail any genre with her direction.

The way no character is patronised for their circumstances makes me so proud to actually have been raised in very similar ways and still be a somewhat functioning adult.

This is highly recommended.

This is an excellent coming-of-age story, reminiscent of "Wild Diamond" but, in my opinion, executed even better. We follow the life of Bailey, a 12-year-old girl living in the depleded areas of the UK. From the outset, it's clear that Bailey perceives the world differently from those around her. Nature, animals, and especially birds, symbolize freedom and lightness, a sensation that comes across vividly.

Bailey meets Bird, a character who embodies the person she aspires to become. Initially, she mocks Bird, but by the end, her ridicule transforms into admiration. Bailey faces numerous challenges, and Bird subtly guides her toward resolution. Some questions remain unanswered, but for me, the specific answers are unimportant. The journey and the growth Bailey experiences are what truly matter.

There are two lovely performances to enjoy in this story of the twelve year old "Bailey" (Nykiya Adams). She lives in a squat with her dad "Bug" (Barry Keoghan), brother "Hunter" (Jason Buda) and her soon-to-be stepmum "Kayleigh" (Frankie Box). It's that impending wedding, and the wearing of a pretty garish pink cat-suit, that puts her at odds with her well-meaning dad and sees her left to amuse herself amidst the fields of Kent. It's there that she encounters the rather enigmatic "Bird" (Franz Rogowski) who is looking for his parents who lived in a Gravesend tower block near her home. She decides to try and help this rather quirky chap and quickly their lives become curiously linked as we discover that her mother (Jasmine Jobson) is struggling through an abusive relationship with boyfriend "Skate" (James Nelson-Joyce) whilst also trying to bring up three youngsters. With the quest for her new friend's parents, her desire to help her mum and siblings and her dad's pressure to engage with his own hopes for happiness, the young "Bailey" hasn't her challenges to seek. Keoghan features energetically as he zips around the housing estates on his e-scooter, and his character serves well to help keep the main characterisations going - and it's on that front there's a charmingly understated chemistry developed between Adams and Rogowski that mixes their respective back-stories with a soupçon of the mystic and plenty of allegorical imagery to introduce quite elusive themes of freedom, family and quite frequently fun, too. There are also some fairly violent undertones, and we are left in no doubt that her life and that of her family has been and will remain fairly turbulent - but those points are not brought to us via a sledge-hammer, more by gentle observation and development of engaging personalities that evolve gently but potently over a couple of hours. It's a slow burn, but it works.

Bird is a 2024 coming of age drama following Bailey, a 12 year old girl who lives in a very poor environment around Kent and spends most of her time escaping into the depths of the city and recording events on her phone that mean something to her. However, her father Bug (Barry Keoghan) expects his daughter to attend a wedding with another woman, then after Bailey runs away she comes across a mysterious man named Bird (Franz Rogowski) that then resorts to a powerful story about friendship and family all in poverty.

Of course this is a very well made film, and it didn't seem it needed much budget to do so with it's breakout performances from a new generation of actors. But this film is definitely not for everyone as the whole entirety of it's runtime does consist of exploring these types of dangerous environments and the positives surrounding it. I think it definitely did it's job to convey a thoughtful message with stand out performances that really do make a impact and I can respect it for that.

However, my personal opinion, I really dislike the characters and I mean yeah they're accurate but I literally see people like this every day and I cannot really forgive the actions most of the people do in this movie. While some scenes with them are very funny, I can't really resonate or make peace of what some of the characters do in this film, and I hated Bug's character too definitely a annoying but realistic portrayal of people and fathers like him. But the acting is very good though, my favourite character Bird doesn't really have a lot of lines, however he doesn't need to. Also I would most certainly not encourage little children to talk to and follow a random stranger, but Bird is an escapism for these kids and isn't what you think he is.

Overall, I would never watch this again, I don't think this is a film to be seen in the big screen it's more of a one to watch at home. Bird does have decent performances, humour and great scenes but I did not like most of the characters even Bailey was annoying but I think that's the point though, to show that people like them are real and actually live like this so I think that's a good message but don't watch this in the cinema, I just don't think it's that captivating to be honest and also the runtime could be adjusted as I think it carried on a tad too long, but I wouldn't recommend to be in a rush to see this one.

Grade: B

London Film Festival 20th October.