There are many ways to portray marginalization in cinema, much of it depending on the filmmaker’s perspective. Bird (UK, France, Germany, and US, 2024) confirms that few directors possess the sensitivity of British filmmaker Andrea Arnold (known for Fish Tank and Cow). Hailing from Kent in southeast England, Arnold specializes in stories about young women confronting adulthood’s harshest realities.
While featuring recognizable faces like Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Franz Rogowski (Passages), Arnold remains grounded in her signature portrayal of young female experiences on England’s social fringes, now anchored by Nykiya Adams’ powerful acting debut.
The director maintains social realism as her compass, but introduces a crucial new element: the blending of magical realism and striking animal symbolism into this coming-of-age narrative.
What’s it about?
Bird follows 12-year-old Bailey (Adams), living in a rundown Kent apartment with her father Bug (Keoghan), his girlfriend Kayleigh (Frankie Box), and half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda). Bailey struggles to fit in, especially when her father announces plans to marry Kayleigh after just three months together. Meanwhile, Hunter joins a vigilante teen group that assaults alleged abusers.
After witnessing an attack and fighting with her father, Bailey flees to sleep in a field. There she meets a mysterious man calling himself Bird (Rogowski), searching for the family he lost as a child. Their paths keep crossing, forming an unlikely bond.
Bird explores growing up with absent fathers and forced mothers
Despite the protagonist’s bleak circumstances, Arnold and cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s (Poor Things) imagery never feels exploitative. Their approach is empathetic – capturing both the lonely beauty of Bailey’s world and her emotional/physical turmoil through dynamic camerawork. The violence of this environment is never sugarcoated.
Bailey endures neglect from a father prioritizing his impulses over his children’s needs. Meanwhile, her extended family and social circle offer little stability – at best turbulent, at worst dangerous.
The protagonist drifts through her quest for identity and belonging where options are scarce. The film explores female coming-of-age under these conditions through multiple characters – Bailey, Kayleigh, Bird’s mother, and various absent fathers.
Bird’s compassionate presence shifts the narrative focus while opening emotional pathways for both Bailey and viewers. Through this connection, Arnold reveals hidden dimensions beneath the poverty, using magical symbolism to elevate the gritty realism into fable-like territory.
Animals serve as constant allegories beyond character names. In one striking image, Bailey sleeps curled in a cocoon – suggesting the transformative power to transcend one’s circumstances (we won’t spoil the surprises).
With Bird, Arnold offers a compassionate yet clear-eyed perspective on growing up marginalized – acknowledging the struggle while affirming the possibility of self-determination. The result is hopeful without being naive.
