“White Bird” film review: The moving coming-of-age drama represents kindness and hope

About White Bird

White bird based on RJ Palaciois the follow-up story to Wonderwhich was made into a film in 2017 with Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay. The semi-episode tells the story of Auggie’s former bully Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who learns an important lesson in kindness from his grandmother Sara, played by the Oscar winner Helen Mirren. In the hands of a weaker filmmaker, despite the heavy material, it could be syrupy. But director Marc Foster gives urgency White birdwhich leaves us full of hope with its ending.

White Bird: Plot

The film begins after Julian has been expelled from Beecher Prep for tormenting Auggie (Tremblay). Now, as a new kid in a new school, Julian must learn to choose the right path. He succeeds in this with the help of his wise and caring grandmother Sara Blum (Mirren). Sara recalls her teenage life in France and lets Julian understand the true meaning of selflessness and kindness through her own experiences as a Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France.

White Bird: writing and directing

Mark Bomback adapts Palacio’s novel; The film then becomes both a history lesson and a personal account of the harrowing experience of being a Jew in 1940s Europe. The options were limited and dangerous, and one often had to rely on the kindness of strangers. Appropriately, Sara (Ariella Glaser) finds it through her classmate Julien (Orlando Schwerdt), who is mocked by the others at school because of his limp after contracting polio.

In contemporary New York and 1940s France, Sara and Julian learn to correct their prejudices. Foster deftly demonstrates this by balancing the tone of the film with a historical perspective and a message of hope. There are several exciting moments towards the end that keep you on the edge of your seat. White Bird counters the ugliness of the past with a moving sense of purpose.

White Bird: Performances

The historical film’s lead actress is Mirren, and she holds up well throughout the film, even in small doses. Much of White Bird is based on Glaser and Schwerdt as classmates who become closest friends and more. Glaser, who reminded me quite a bit of the young Sydney Sweeney, captivates with her sweetness. Schwerdt is just as charming as the serious Julien, who would do anything for Sara. Julian von Gheisar gets a redemptive arc and Gillian Anderson has a brief but effective role as Julien’s mother.

White Bird: Criticism

White bird delves into some darker areas than Wonder did. But it is surrounded by the same positivity and optimism. The film’s message is clear when Sara says, “Never forget kindness.” It would do us all good to be reminded of that again and again.

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