Bird ★★★

Following her documentary Cow shot in her native Kent, Andrea Arnold filmed Bird, her return to fictional storytelling with a number of thematic similarities to her breakout film Fish Tank. Both films are centered on the experiences of youth living in poverty with Bird perhaps being the more warm and approachable of the two. Bird introduces us to Bailey (Nykiya Adams), a 12-year-old girl who enjoys bird watching and filming videos with her phone. She is shown as quiet, perhaps a little shy, and this is put in contrast to her father Bug (Barry Keoghan) who is a ball of energy and interrupts a moment Bailey has with a seagull that has landed near her.

Bug brings Bailey home on his scooter, punk music blaring, and is excited to introduce her to Kailey (Frankie Box), his fiance, and announces the two are to be married that weekend. Bailey is irritated since Bug has only known Kailey for a few months and matters are made worse when Bug asks Bailey to wear what can only be described as an ugly pink cheetah print dress for the ceremony to match Kailey’s younger daughter’s dress. Bailey is also frustrated that she seems to have been among the last told about the wedding and that Kailey and her daughter will be moving into their already cramped living space. There’s a bit of discontent that forms between Bailey and Bug in this scene, and Bailey is shown to be closer to her half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) who she hangs out with. However, when Bailey is curious about her brother and his friends’ “vigilantism” (read: violent retribution against those who are a menace, such as men who beat their wives), Hunter forbids her from taking part in it. To make matters worse, Bug is shown to be concerned about Bailey’s whereabouts, and to some extent untrusting of her as a soon-to-be teenager, however Hunter being gone at night is not made into an issue.

The way Bailey is treated by Bug and Hunter is isolating for her and part of the opening scene of the film implies Bailey’s tomboyism places her apart from the other girls her age. It is this sense of isolation that contributes to Bailey’s disapproval of Kailey; however, after Kailey continues to be kind to Bailey, Bailey realizes her harsh perspective of Kailey may be undeserved. A few days before the wedding, Bailey gets her first period and Kailey is helpful to her. Bailey also notices Kailey’s makeup in the bathroom and begins to use eyeshadow for the first time, and Arnold uses shots of Bailey’s face with eyeshadow to illustrate Bailey becoming closer to Kailey and leaning into her femininity.

Despite being warned not to, Bailey decides to follow Hunter and his friends as they enact their “vigilantism”. She runs away after seeing some of the violence and hearing police sirens. Bailey takes shelter in a field and the next morning she meets Bird (Franz Rogowski) who has appeared in the field following a strong breeze, almost as if he was lifted there. Bird seems a bit strange at first in his mannerisms, but he is harmless and Bailey comes to trust him. There is a theme of superheroes in Bird and Bird’s ‘perching’ atop of buildings where Bailey later sees him makes him akin to both a bird and a superhero. Bird’s soft spoken and kind presence within Bailey’s life acts as a contrast to Hunter’s aggressive means of vigilantism. To Bailey, Bird can be seen as a hero of sorts for his calm and stability when compared to Bug or Hunter, and making her feel less alone.

In this manner, Bird becomes an unlikely mix of a superhero and family drama film. We learn that Bird has arrived in Kent to search for his mother who disappeared when he was a kid. Bailey comes to realize that her grievances with her family, though valid, should not be divisive and that she does share a connection with her family. I think Bailey comes to recognize she may be jealous of Bug and the happiness that Kailey brings him. Whatever Bailey finds to be rough around the edges in her family isn’t to distract from the love that is there – cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s camera lingers on encouraging messages shared within the rampant graffiti in Bird to convey a similar idea. There’s a sweet moment shared between Bailey, Bug, and Hunter near the end of the film that demonstrates that each is not as alone or isolated as they might think they are.

Imagery and the use of music in Bird will be familiar to those who have enjoyed Andrea Arnold’s films Fish Tank and American Honey. Like these films, Arnold has cast a mix of professional and non-professional actors with Nykiya Adams and Jason Buda of the latter group largely defining the story and emotional center of Bird. Adams and Buda are nothing short of commendable in their performances of Bailey and Hunter, and their acting provides a sense of authenticity to their characters and in portraying their characters’ challenges. Fans of Arnold’s previous films will likely find Bird to lack a little heft in comparison; however, the film is certainly at home within her filmography.