White Bird Movie Review

16
Oct 24
0

Struggling to fit in at his new school after being expelled for his treatment of Auggie Pullman, Julian is visited by his grandmother and is transformed by the story of her attempts to escape Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

Why did I come to this movie again?

Simple, I saw a preview and wanted to see it.

5 of 5

Characters

I haven’t actually seen Wonder, which this movie is sort of a sequel for, so while I understood and felt Julian’s character development, it may not have been as potent as it could have been. Still, it was a solid arc.

I really enjoyed Helen Mirren as the grandmother. She was fantastic!

The kids in WWII did a great job, and while I usually love Gillian Anderson, she felt a little flat to me in this one.

4 of 5

Did I care what happened?

While this isn’t an action film, or even a particularly fast-moving film, I was invested.

What happens to several of the characters isn’t at all a surprise, and while I know that was deliberate, it killed some of the tension for me.

4 of 5

Plot Holes

I felt like there was a huge plot hole throughout the movie, but a twist near the end plugged it, which was nice. Still, it was distracting throughout.

I realize how difficult it must be to show the kids around the Jews in WWII France going from being friends with the Jews to hating them on principle. That kind of hate grows from a bad place, and I understand why they didn’t show more of the indoctrination, I had a hard time with the kids just turning on each other.

Although there were a few times that people surprised me, so that was good.

4 of 5

How many times did I yawn?

Like I said, the pacing is slow. The romance and the tension are a slow burn. However, I didn’t get bored.

I did think a few sections of the film could have been trimmed down just a little.

4 of 5

Cool Factor

The film is beautiful. That is all.

5 of 5

The End

More than I liked Julian’s story, I thought his grandmother was awesome at the end of the movie.

Hope and love. That’s what this movie is about, and it delivers.

I have to admit, I thought this movie would leave me wrecked, and it didn’t. Not sure how I feel about that.

4 of 5

Overall Enjoyment

This film tackled issues that we face today in a way that makes you wonder, “Why are people like this?” I can’t answer that question, and the film doesn’t either, except to say that we should each look into our own hearts and see what we bring to the world.

Do you bring light, or darkness, into other people’s lives? Do you gather light or dark into your own life? These simple things can help any of us get through difficult (that’s putting it mildly for some people) times.

5 of 5