Catherine Called Birdy

"I am dying, it is plain to see." Catherine (Bella Ramsey)

Although that is the cry of 14-year-old medieval English Catherine greeting her first period, it is the cry of all young girls meeting womanhood, a blend of suffering and mystery and finally joy should it mean a child can be in the future. Writer/director Lena Dunham has crafted a rollicking YA story, set in 1290, of a feisty young girl who could fight amd survive in any century where independence and equality are her motivations.

Although Catherine Called Birdy is derived from Karen Cushman's novel, it is a universally charming oft-told tale of a modestly good-looking rebel who fights the medieval tradition of marrying off young females to improve the family lot through money and title. The egregious gender-role motif is prevalent but with Dunham's light touch.

Catherine fights her indolent yet likeable dad, Lord Rollo (Andrew Scott, so effective he was as Moriarty in Sherlock), when he attempts to remedy his flagrant abuse of their fortune by marrying her off. Catherine shouts, "Your villagers are allowed to marry where they will, but your daughter is sold like a cheese for your profit."

Catherine's cheeky voiceover narration (evocative of Heath Ledger's A Knight's Tale and Pippi Longstocking) from a diary she keeps for her monk brother is an endearing feature of this, dare I call it, romcom: About kissing, she opines, "Might it not be as vile as we once thought?" Acknowledging being saved from a marriage to old "Shaggy Beard," she exclaims, "My gratitude does not mean I have lost my fight." A quick-witted fighter she is.

Her teen-age rebellion echoes down the centuries, as true today as it was almost a millennia ago. For adults, Catherine Called Birdy is a romp in witty language and ancient mores, recreated with loving good cheer from a spirited woman much of our time, Lena Dunham.

In muddy medieval Britain, Birdy played by Bella Ramsey, is a free spirited and frustratingly headstrong 14 years old, busy defying her father, Andrew Scott's attempts to get her married and save the family with a dowry from a rich suitor, however ill suited they might be. She's having none of it.

Using sharp, witty and very 21st century dialogue, Lena Durham has created a funny and sweet medieval coming of age comedy / drama which at its centre is the wonderful and shining Ramsey. She is also well supported by a terrific British cast including Scott, Billie Piper and the excellent Lesley Sharp as the nanny everyone would dream of having. The words are the thing here though and it's unlikely that you'd watch this and not have a smile on your face afterwards. Nice soundtrack as well.

Needing something brainless and fluffy to watch, this fit the bill just fine. I'm not bothered by the historical inaccuracies because there are SO much, it reads intentional. The main plot device is inaccurate in itself- a noble lady would carry a dowry into marriage. If she's broke, the best she can hope for is being attractive or titled enough to find a suitor willing to have her... they wouldn't be lined up as portrayed here. I'm not a Lena Dunham fan, but I think this was entertaining and subtle (for Dunham). Although the main character was too naive to truly be a medieval young woman (the whole menstrual bit was farfetched), I understood what the messaging was intending to convey. I always use subtitles which definitely came in handy here as some dialogue was hard to catch and worth catching- for the most part the writing was snappy and humorous. Great casting all around with Dad (Scott) stealing every scene. Bella made a believable tomboy, but it was hard not to remember her as a mini GOT badass. The soundtrack paid homage to my younger years which was cool to hear, except Mazzy Star "Fade Into Me" should never be messed with- it's perfection as it is. I dig Carter Burwell so it made sense I liked the majority of what I heard. The cinematography was lush and beautiful-- a star in it's own right, so high marks there. Is any of this realistic? No. Can it still be enjoyed on a Saturday night in PJs? Yes. Just don't overthink it.

Birdy's a young girl, almost a woman, a bit naïve of all the world in which she's living, but she's got to grow up quick, a new clock's primed and starts to tick, she now has value and a modesty for taking. So arrangements are prepared to sell her off, it makes her quite annoyed, it makes her scoff, so she wriggles and she squirms, to avert taking new terms, prevent her moving to a strangers dirty trough. But her father's most insistent she'll soon pack, for disobeying he metes out several hand whacks, potential suitors are arranged, so she presents as quite deranged, then Shaggy Beard, decides he'd like to have a crack. You're just pleased this is a tale set in the past, a time of yore, so long ago, a long time passed, well you'd like to think that's true, but you know, and I know too, that it all depends upon the cards that you've been caste.

Great acting, great dialogue, not quite as laugh out loud funny as I'd hoped it would be but enjoyable nonetheless - to a point, which it makes very well. There's a very good film called 'What Will People Say' that's worth tracking down if you have the time.

How on Earth is this film currently rated 5.9? I'm giving it a ten in the hopes of averting the universe from tilting sideways with injustice. The writing is sharp, funny, often quietly potent. The cast is perfect and the cinematography, set and costume design excellent. Is the low rating because the film is anachronistic? Did some people think this was an historical reenactment? Obviously it's not because the casting is colour-blind, because that would be monumentally stupid. Bella Ramsey knocks every line, scowl, and flounce out of the park. A lovely little film, and here's hoping Bella Ramsey, already one of the very best actors of her generation, goes on to have a long, meandering and celebrated career.