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Bailey seeks attention and adventure elsewhere
Story
Bailey lives with her brother Hunter and single father Bug in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time to devote to them. Barry Keoghan dropped out of Gladiator II (2024) to star in this film. Adapted from Fontaines D.C.: Bug (2024). I had the chance to screen Bird at Newfest at the SVA Theatre last Wednesday, and it left an indelible mark on me – an experience that makes it easy to see why Andrea Arnold remains one of our most distinctive and fearless filmmakers.
Barry Keoghan plays Bailey’s father and is as fascinating as ever
Arnold, whose works like Fish Tank and American Honey have long depicted the fragile, bruised edges of society, once again delivers a deeply moving exploration of youth and its collision with the harsh realities of the adult world. Nykiya Adams is absolutely mesmerizing as Bailey, a resourceful teenager trying to make sense of the world around her, living on the outskirts of Kent, England. His performance is a revelation filled with subtlety, grace, and sincerity that feels almost documentary-like in its authenticity. Through Bailey’s immaculate gaze, we are confronted with a world that is both brutal and confusing, but Arnold makes sure that moments of tenderness and wonder cut through the bleakness. Adams has created a character who is not just a victim of his circumstances, but finds beauty and resilience in spite of them.
In many ways, his character symbolizes the fractured state of authority that Bailey must navigate
His portrayal of a man embroiled in shady dealings and moral ambiguity is riddled with equal parts charm and menace. Keoghan’s ability to oscillate between warmth and coldness keeps audiences on edge – he embodies a character who must protect but is ultimately as lost as the child he is trying to care for. Franz Rogowski also gives a standout performance, bringing a quiet intensity to the role of a mysterious figure who emerges and occasionally offers glimpses of humanity amidst the bleakness on the fringes of society. The camerawork is as restless as Bailey herself, moving with a sense of urgency that draws us right into her experience. Arnold’s handheld cinematography heightens the sense of instability and danger, but there’s also an intimacy in the way he frames Bailey’s interactions with the world, a reminder that magic can still be found in the most unexpected places.
Arnold has always been adept at portraying complex and conflicting emotions, and Bird is no exception
The visual language stands out for its ability to capture both the beauty and decay of Bailey’s world. What really stands out about Bird is her ability to balance two seemingly contradictory feelings: a sense of hope and the ever-present weight of despair. The film manages to capture both the unsettling and hopeful aspects of her surroundings with empathy and wit. Storytelling isn’t so much about delivering a clear plot as it is about creating an emotional tapestry — a shifting composition that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. There’s an almost Roger Ebert-esque appreciation here for small moments, the kind of fleeting beauty that reminds us why we watch movies in the first place.
Bird resonates because it refuses to offer easy answers
Instead, Arnold immerses us in a fractured but deeply real world — a world that reflects the uncertainties of Bailey’s life and her unwavering determination to find her own place in it. There’s poetics in the way Arnold captures her characters — not through grand speeches or melodramatic moments, but through silences, glances, and mundane details that create something deeply human.
