Bluebird

I happened to watch this movie by mistake while channel surfing on MHZnetworks programming on our local cable channel. I cannot tell you how much this movie moved me. This movie portrayed a very different "ethos" (exhibited by Merel and her adopted brother) from what I had in my mind about a young child like this from a European nation. The kind of love, attachment, care and a sense of responsibility to, that Merel showed to her adopted brother is commonly seen in Africa and other poorer parts of the world. She had a deep deep love, commitment and sense of obligation to her brother that is very uncommon in the western world where kids (like her classmates) are very selfish and have this sense of "entitlement" to their own toys, bedrooms, whatever.....

I especially love the scene where she wheels the little boy to the dock by the water to see the boats (She is wheeling him on his wheelchair, singing and they are both soooo happy!). That was a very "heavenly scene", it portrayed the carefree nature that EVERY child should have in this world, not worrying about bullying, family problems e.t.c, but just being a kid and seeing the beauty of nature and life. Unfortunately, Merel's life changes real fast and she starts getting bullied at school. I was especially touched with her somewhat "steel pulse" amidst all this. She is still able to read have the mental capacity to save enough money to buy Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina", not a typical 12yr old's choice, which I think portrays her indomitable spirit and maturity also.

Her friendship with the train passenger was especially refreshing. Many young girls like her usually end up being abused by strangers like the man she striked a relationship with in the train. But, this man was more like a guardian angel to her. Having a love of books, and noticing it in Merel (very unusual for a 12yr old to real Leo Tolstoy)...he embarks on this journey with her, eventually offering her a book that he discussed with her. We need to see more of these kind of relations in our world today - where a black man and a caucasian woman are not portrayed in such graphic and racial terms; but rather in a way that shows that not all black young men are rapists, nor all young caucasian girls are sluts either. What a refreshing thing!!! It is not by surprise that the little gift from the stranger in the train, is the very thing that gives her a break from the bullies. The very thing that she loves (books), is the very thing that redeems her from being bullied.

I loved very much the way her parents supported her. The scene where mom holds her, and she cries and she is babied....Awwwwwwh. Then daddy comes home, after mom has already done so much, and he gives her some more love, but with the wisdom and language that a dad is supposed to provide as a leader for the home. Every kid deserves this lovely home environment, when mom and dad are playing their roles perfectly with no compromise or resentment. It is no surprise that they adopted the dissabled boy, they can handle it, we see it by the way they already handle their own child. I also love the resolve and wisdom the dad portrays when Merel asks about getting a piercing - he is shocked, but wisely suggests starting with earings, such wit!!. He does not say absolutely not, he offers an alternative even if Merel did not particularly like it. A piercing to her was not so much to be a symbol of rebellion, but a symbol of toughness apparently to her bullies.

This movie would be a PERFECT tool to use to address the endemic bullying problems that our children are having to deal with on a daily basis in the schools today. I would love to see more movies like this - No vulgarity, No obscene sex scenes, just a perfect film with a Hugeeee message to convey to families about pain, suffering, resilience,fortitude and true love in our relations with others. A perfect film!! of the movie that were very

A 12 year old girl got to be 'picked' (bullied) on at school from just on moment on the other. At home she doesn't tell here parents, and as the situation get worse and worse, she gets quieter all the time. She has an (adopted) younger disabled brother and the have an excellent 'relationship'. She is with him all the time. When stuff get worse, it start effecting the 'bond' with here brother.

I find the 'play' between the girl and her disabled brother real good, and the atmosphere from the school klas picking on her, real enough to be true. (in NL anyway.) Good movie, i wasn't bored for one moment.

Since my English isn't very good I will try not to repeat what other have already said. Sure, this movie is excellent, but what was a bit annoying for me is the lack of anger. The girl is just too good to be true. I expected a reaction from her and not just some stifled emotions. At the end you can feel that she's on the edge but she doesn't cross it. Or maybe she does? In one scene she stands at the hill with her brother. Her face changes as if something sinister happens in her head. I really thought she will push him down. In many cases victims become like their bullies. Maybe she really did push her brother down but the scene was cut out? That would explain why her brother was angry (at her) later and why she felt so guilty. I need to watch the movie again to be sure. Also, what's up with that black guy? I just don't like when strangers talk to children no matter how innocent their intentions are. It's not proper.

The last two Dutch films I saw had lead characters that did not make you root for them ('Drijfzand' and 'De Ordening'). That is OK if the movie has other things going for it; sometimes a hero would just be in the way. Unfortunately, those two Dutch flicks had no such other things going for them either.

Blue Bird is different, partly because its makers cheated.

The lead character is Merel, a girl of 12 who has started attending secondary school. For some reason or another (who knows why these things really start?) she gets off on the wrong foot with the rowdy crowd of her class, and from then on she is being bullied and beaten up by that group.

Merel has some average qualities, for example in that the she is slightly nerdy. But most of the time she is being the ideal person: she can sing, she is a swimming champ, she is a very caring and devoted sister to her charming and handicapped little brother and she is one of the best students in her class. This makes it very easy to care for her: you want her to overcome the bullies, and grow in the process.

And this is where the makers cheated: her being so perfect also makes it difficult to imagine her the target of bullies. Bullies usually pick on the weaker kids. Although Merel does defend herself, she seems to have no friends for most of the movie, except in people that are not in her school.

Director Mijke de Jong uses another trick to make us feel for Merel. The camera is often distant, hidden behind backs or staying away from the action, so that it feels that not even the registering eye will step in to help this poor girl.

Elske Rotteveel as Merel believably portrays the lead character in both sad and happy times, and holds her own in both speaking and silent moments. She outperforms her grown-up colleagues in many scenes, making her Merel stand out even more.

All in all this is an engaging TV film.

I really love these docu-style films. Having missed the opening credits (I found it while zapping), I thought for the first 5 minutes it was a documentary. So cool. Also, with the very skillful and appropriate underacting, it was hard to tell what this was at first. A German children's series? A docu on living with disability in the family? Ah, Dutch drama! Rotteveel is an outstanding actress, with the typical looks of the runway model: Looks ordinary, almost plain at first glance, but is stunning upon closer examination. Her acting is of the deceptive natural kind and it fitted in well with the direction and camera work, beautiful, those wide shots.

I didn't get the choice of music, though. Choosing the Red Hot Chili Peppers' song 'Otherside' during a sad moment is understandable, ("A candidate for my soul mate bled" "Slit my throat, it's all I ever" ), but R.E.M.s 'Losing my religion' during the end? And what about Michel Fugains 'Un beau roman' when her stepbrother is going to school? What is the connection between that and a nostalgic summer romance song? Unfathomable.