"Strictly For The Birds" tells the story of Kate Birdsall, a transgender woman in her late 60s, finding love in an unexpected place when she moves to a new city and meets her neighbor Andrea.
It's dangerous waters to have an autobiographical story told in a traditional film format starring the actual people involved. I thought that Kate Birdsall and Andrea Drury were very lovely together on screen, but it could not be gotten around that they are not trained actors. So much of the dialogue delivery together felt like watching a community theater production. Not bad, but certainly lacking polish.
It also becomes a bit difficult in this format, as there are parts that come across as somewhat self-congratulatory. This is the inherent danger with being so close to the project and controlling all sides of the narrative in every 2-person interaction. It's like watching a person's inner thoughts as they replay scenarios in their mind... shower arguments, etc.
I would have much preferred to see this film presented as a documentary instead. Drop the script, let Kate and Andrea just be themselves as they tell this story. There was clearly chemistry and they clearly love each other, but the confining nature of a traditional scripted narrative prevented that from coming through. The only time I really saw something beautiful was those very-clear character breaks that ran off script but was kept in the movie (rightly so).
The problem with a documentary is to tell the story of the past, you often need a lot of source material. Interviews, photos, archive video, etc... and that can be difficult. If that was the case I think the best thing this movie could have done is fit the format of a docu-drama: have Kate and Andrea as themselves, being interviewed together, telling the story together, and when it comes time to show past events, THEN get actors involved to re-enact things. Especially since the flashback sequences were noticeably better performed and as a result, rang more "true".
Without trained performances, the characters were there and were charming, but they failed to really elevate the film. There was clearly conflict, mostly in "human vs self" in both Kate and Andrea, but it failed to come through in a way that felt compelling or had real stakes on the line.
I'm glad I watched this and I hope for nothing but love and prosperity in the future for this lovely couple, but judging it as a film I'm afraid it just didn't work and I'd have difficulty recommending it.
