‘Bird’ Review – A Surrealistic And Touching Tale About Finding Beauty And Warmth In Unexpected Places [Cannes 2024]

There’s something about acclaimed writer/director Andrea Arnold (Cow) that the Cannes Film Festival loves. After awarding three of her five previous movies (Fish Tank, Red Road, American Honey), they present her with the Carrosse d’Or this year and show her next feature, Bird, in Competition. While Bird is a film that needs to grow on you, and certainly will, the surrealistic and touching tale about finding beauty and warmth in unexpected and broken places again confirms that Arnold’s accolades are truly deserved.

There’s always something so truthful and personal to the British filmmaker’s works; this time, it’s no different. In this feature, she takes us to Kent, and in particular to a house in complete disarray inhabited by twelve-year-old Bailey (Nykiya Adams), her father Bug (Barry Keoghan) and her half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda). While it’s slightly implausible that Bug could be Bailey’s father – especially because Adams and Keoghan look very close in age – it seems that becoming a young father isn’t such an uncommon thing in the household, even more so when Hunter is about to start his own young family.

As if there isn’t enough tension and friction in the house, Bug flippantly announces that he will marry Kayleigh (Frankie Box), with whom he has been having a relationship for about three months and who will be moving in with them. This clearly isn’t to Bailey’s liking, not only because she barely knows Kayleigh but also because she has to wear a bright purple leopard outfit as one of the bridesmaids. This complex family dynamic, with its unconventional relationships and the impending arrival of a new member, sets the stage for the emotional journey that Bailey embarks on.

Bailey starts to feel even more like an outsider in her own family, and sadly, she’s also not entirely part of her local community either. While Adams was also an outsider to the film industry before the filming of this feature, as this is her debut film, we hope that the industry will embrace this young actress with open arms. Arnold did it – as she did in Fish Tank (Katie Jarvis) and American Honey (Sasha Lane) – and it certainly paid off. Adams portrays her character with such power and dedication and injects pain, vulnerability, and strength into this movie, even during the non-dialogue scenes. While Bailey never explicitly expresses the pain, you can feel it coming through the screen because of Adams’ touching acting.

Her performance reaches even higher when Bailey starts to encounter Bird, played by a flawless Franz Rogowski. Bird, the free-spirited man who always stands on a particular building and who dances around in a skirt – is much more important to Bailey and this film than initially thought. On the one hand, he represents the surrealistic fairytale aspect Arnold uses again in her movie; on the other hand, it’s the character that will show the heroine the beauty of the world.

While the element might not make sense at first, the last scene between Adams and Rogowski shows why it was necessary to include it. The moment radiates so much warmth and tenderness and feels like a firm hug we need occasionally. The clever thing is that Arnold never overuses the surrealism aspect in this feature, ensuring that Bird never becomes a fairytale. Instead, it stays a touching drama about broken homes, unexpected friendships, and navigating through a dark world.

The main reason the movie doesn’t become the fairytale it could have quickly become if it wasn’t the balanced approach, is the immaculate performance by Rogowski. After seeing him sharing the lead in Passages, it’s excellent to see him taking on the titular role. Bird’s delicacy, kindness, and empathy draw Bailey to the enigmatic character, and thanks to Rogowski’s enchanting acting, you will be drawn to him, too. Bird himself might not be perfect – there’s a darker side to him which comes through more towards the end – but Rogowski’s performance is pitch-perfect.

Another character that might be flawed but who, deep down, is a tender and caring person is Bug. He’s a great example of the ‘rough exterior but soft interior’ person. While he spends a lot of time dancing, smoking, and tending to his magical toad (which will help him finance his wedding), Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) is much more occupied with giving us an emotionally volatile and impactful performance. Funny enough, his character mocks ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’, a cheeky wink to Saltburn, which works.

Bug might not like that popular Sophie Ellis-Bextor song, but he does love his indie music, resulting in probably one of the best film scores of Cannes. We’re not sure if Bird will win the Palme d’Or yet, but if there is a prize for best music in a Cannes 2024 feature, this movie would have that award in the bag already. Yes, it would be a close call as there’s some serious competition because of Kinds of Kindness, but with brilliantly chosen songs from Blur, The Verve and Fontaines D.C., the soundtrack is undoubtedly one of the best ones out there lately.

Despite Bird not being Arnold’s best work, it’s certainly her most experimental one, creatively. The surrealist aspects might not be to everyone’s liking, but generally, the movie offers a deeply engaging and nonjudgmental look into the life of a young teenager finding a warm nest when her own home is broken.

Bird held its World Premiere as a part of the In Competition section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Director: Andrea Arnold

Screenwriter: Andrea Arnold

Rated: NR

Runtime: 119m