Bird

'Bird' has similarities to Andrea Arnold's earlier film 'Fishtank' where an alienated teen put herself in serious danger while trying to escape loneliness and domestic dysfunction. In this new work Arnold focuses on pre-teen Bailey who lives in a squalid squat with her father and an older brother. Her dad Bug is planning to marry his kooky new girlfriend, while her troubled mother lives nearby in even more chaotic conditions with a clutter of Bailey's younger siblings, a long-suffering pup called Dave and a violently abusive boyfriend.

None of the adults in her universe seem capable of providing much guidance, leaving Bailey to chart her own course. Following a row with Bug, Bailey shadows a gang of street kids engaged in some random criminality. After evading the police, sleeping in a field and being awakened by a horse, she encounters a kilted stranger called Bird. This eccentric itinerant had been born in the area, raised elsewhere and is trying to find a father he can scarcely remember. After some hesitation, Bailey decides to help him.

Nykiya Adams delivers a courageous and convincing performance in the lead role as Bailey's pursuit of Bird's quest mingles with other digressions, distractions and sub-plots. Her apparently aimless wanderings eventually arrive at a revelatory moment which is depicted in a brief passage where the film briefly departs from gritty realism and enters the realm of the fantastic. Somehow Arnold pulls off this trick, transforming her urban drama into an intense and memorable fable.

This unforgettable film seems to have very differing ratings. I loved it. Central performance of actress playing 12 year old Bailey was beautiful. Her character displays a kind of self-composure and inner strength, a steadiness amid a chaotic and volatile world. The actor who played Bird was also incredible. His performance is tender and vital. You almost feel his protective wings around you.

On the face of it, the film is a very real observation of the harshness of life in a deprived area of England, but somehow there is still beauty, hope, love and even magic to be found in this world. It doesn't romanticise poverty but documents the lives of the people who are struggling in this situation showing them as complete human beings who can be erratic, selfish, desperate but also loving, joyous and hopeful.

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.

There is so much I love about Andrea Arnold's latest film, Bird, that I can't put into words. There's some snippets that are more obvious than others. For example, Barry Keoghan's character, Bug, who is trying to work out which 'bad' song that will make his toad excrete the hallucinogenic slime that will give him the funds he needs for his perfect wedding. His friends say toad needs a bad song and suggest 'Murder on the dance floor'. Of course Barry disagrees "I quite like that song". Oh we know you do Barry (Saltburn anyone?). I also loved the song played in the end credits "is this too real for ya?" - perhaps taking a swipe at those who might complain about the addition of magic to Arnold's usual social realism. There is so much to love about this film. Any sort of plot synopsis would spoil. Suffice to say, this is British cinema at its best. In addition to the ubiquitously brilliant Keoghan, who kinda plays a secondary role, the acting is superb, not least the outstanding Nykiya Adams in the lead role. Also look out for outstanding turns by the guy from Passengers (I forget his name) and the brilliant actor who played Jaq in Top Boy. Anyway, overall a brilliant coming of age story mixing social with magical realism and the result is nothing short of mesmerising. 9 out of ten.

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.