X
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- MUBI
- 1 h 59 m
- 2024
- R
- MUBI
- 1 h 59 m
Summary 12-year-old Bailey (Nykiya Adams) lives with her single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) and brother Hunter (Jason Buda) in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids and Bailey who is approaching puberty seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
Directed By: Andrea Arnold
Written By: Andrea Arnold
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- MUBI
- 1 h 59 m
- 2024
- R
- MUBI
- 1 h 59 m
Bird
73
User Score
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Summary 12-year-old Bailey (Nykiya Adams) lives with her single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) and brother Hunter (Jason Buda) in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids and Bailey who is approaching puberty seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
Directed By: Andrea Arnold
Written By: Andrea Arnold
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
73
73% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
27% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
73
73% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
27% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
With scenes of harrowing violence, the film often feels totally unsafe: no adult’s motives are beyond reproach. In true Andrea Arnold style, though, it’s also a life-enhancing tale that soars with unexpected grace, optimism and faith in humanity.
In Bird Andrea Arnold once again shows she has the magic keys – in this case Franz Rogowski’s piercingly tender bird-man, and Barry Keoghan’s manically affectionate drug-dealer dad -- to extract drama, fantasy and authentic emotion from characters living on the lowest rungs of English society.
Barry Keoghan is arguably the most electric actor working today, and he absolutely ignites Bird.
This is what Arnold is so great at capturing: people just doing their best, which often means they surpass every expectation without even knowing it. Her generosity toward her characters is also generosity toward us. She hands us nothing, even as she gives us everything.
Perhaps Bird is best understood as a film about self-consciousness or perhaps it is just a self-conscious film, ironing out the flaws of these well-meaning characters to create a fairy tale or apologue.
By Saffron Maeve
FULL REVIEW
Like the butterflies and pockets of natural beauty that Bailey is drawn to, there are glimmers of potential in Bird. But it never fully manages to take flight, leaving its provocative conclusion more jarring and confusing than revelatory.
The film is Arnold trying to have the integrity of her severity and eat it too. Bird is a feel-bad movie that turns into a feel-good movie. What it never feels like is a totally authentic movie.
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Production Company
BBC Film,
British Film Institute (BFI),
Pinky Promise,
FirstGen Content,
Access Entertainment,
House Productions,
Ad Vitam Production,
Arte France Cinéma
Release Date Nov 8, 2024
Duration 1 h 59 m
Rating R
Genres
Awards
British Independent Film Awards
• 7 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
European Film Awards
• 2 Nominations