Bird (2024 film)

Bird
Release poster
Directed by	Andrea Arnold
Written by	Andrea Arnold
Produced by	Andrea Arnold Lee Groombridge Juliette Howell Tessa Ross
Starring	Nykiya Adams Barry Keoghan Franz Rogowski Jason Buda Jasmine Jobson Frankie Box James Nelson-Joyce
Cinematography	Robbie Ryan
Edited by	Joe Bini
Production companies	BBC Film BFI Pinky Promise FirstGen Content Access Entertainment House Productions Ad Vitam Arte France Cinéma Ciné+ Canal+
Distributed by	Ad Vitam Distribution (France) Mubi (United States and United Kingdom)
Release dates	16 May 2024 (2024-05-16) (Cannes) 8 November 2024 (2024-11-08) (United States and United Kingdom)
Running time	119 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom France Germany United States
Language	English
Box office	$341,895[1][2]

Bird is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Andrea Arnold and starring Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, and Franz Rogowski.

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2024.^[3] The film was theatrically released in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mubi on 8 November 2024.^[4]

This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Bailey is a 12 year old girl who lives in a slum building with her dad, Bug, and half brother, Hunter. One day while Bailey is filming birds on a bridge Bug picks her up on a scooter to take her home. He announces to her that he's engaged to a girl he hasn't known for very long and the wedding is on the upcoming Saturday. Bailey, in shock and frustration, claims she will not attend and storms off.

Later that day, while Bailey's brother is getting a haircut, he claims he is becoming a vigilante with some of his friends. Bailey doesn't understand what that means, and when she tried to join the group they demand she not come. However Bailey follows them anyway and witnesses the group of boys storming into a house and threatening a man with a box cutter. Police are quickly called and Bailey runs off in shock. She finds herself alone in an empty field where she falls asleep for the night.

The next morning several horses awake her and she is greeted by a friendly, silly man named Bird. She acts defensive toward him, but he only inquires her about a nearby location. She ends up following him to an apartment complex where he is looking for a certain woman who lived there sometime ago, however a young woman answers the door but has no knowledge of the previous tenants. Bailey leaves the complex after hearing this and notices Bird on the roof of the building. Then her father finds her in the area, angrily accusing her of seeing a man, takes her home and grounds her.

While in her room she watches a video of Bird she took that morning and becomes determined to see him again. Sneaking past her father, who is a drug dealer in the compound and excited for his ownership of a frog that can produce hallucinogenic liquid, she returns to the roof to find Bird still there.

She learns that Bird was looking for his mother who lived in the apartment complex, and that long ago he disappeared as a kid, although his explanation is vague. Bailey, now warm to Bird, thinks she can help him as her mother lived in that same complex years ago. The two end up going to her mother's house where she has three other kids and lives with an abusive man named Skate. While Bailey and Bird inquire her about the residents Skate demands his young daughter bring him tea. Clearly frightened of the man, she stands by Bailey for protection. An argument ensues between Bailey and Skate and he gets out of bed naked and Bailey films him while he demands her to give him her phone, saying if she shows it to the police he will kill her mother. Despite this, Peyton was able to remember Bird's father's name.

Bailey escapes with her phone unharmed but sees Bird walking away in the distance and he does not respond to her yelling his name. She sends the video to Hunter, and he confirms that he and his friends will attack Skate to rescue the kids and her mother. Later she gets a call from Hunter where he explains that he needs her help for something urgent. The two go to his girlfriend's house, who is pregnant, so Bailey can deliver a note about Hunter and her moving to Scotland so they can keep the baby, as her family doesn't want her to have it. On the way a crow noticeable follows Bailey and even ends up at Moon's apartment. Unable to get the family to answer the door Bailey holds up the note and the crow retrieves it from her hands and delivers it to Moon.

The next day as Hunter and his friends plan to attack Skate in his apartment, Bailey tells them that she will take the kids out for the day so they can avoid the incident. Bird comes along with Bailey and the kids to the beach where he attempts to track down his father. When they find his apartment he answers in complete denial and anger, claiming he never had a boy. Later, as Bailey and Bird sit outside, the man comes out of his apartment with his wife and admits he was with Bird's mom and they did have a boy, but he left shortly after that, expressing her poor mental state at the time. On the bus on the way home Bird is in tears over the situation, but Bailey consoles him.

As Bailey, Bird and the three kids return to the apartment at night, Bailey requests Bird not join her when she goes inside. Bailey enters quietly and puts the kids to bed, and when looking for her mom she finds her trying to keep the door closed as Skate aggressively tries to enter the home. When he does he takes Peyton into the bathroom and beats her, and as Bailey attempts to stop it, he knocks her unconscious. Bird then has entered the apartment and enables her to regain her strength. Bird also attempts to defend Peyton, however Skate bashes his head in. While on the floor Bird transforms with feathers, large wings, and a birdlike caw. He again fights Skate, this time taking him outside where Bird knocks him unconscious and grabs him with talons and flies off with his body.

The next day Bailey notices Hunter is gone with his things. Believing this to mean he has gone to Scotland with Moon, she tells Bug and the two run to the train station to find him. He is there and devastated that Moon did not show up, claiming how badly he wanted to have a baby. Bug insists that she was too young to have a baby, even though he had Hunter at the same age. The three of them ride back home and attend the wedding of Bug and his fiancé, where Bailey is noticeably in better spirits about the wedding. During the reception Bird shows up unannounced and hugs Bailey goodbye. As he leaves Bailey looks forward revealing her eyes are now birdlike the same way Bird's eyes were.

• Nykiya Adams as Bailey
• Barry Keoghan as Bug, Bailey's father^[5]
• Franz Rogowski as Bird
• Jason Buda as Hunter, Bailey's half-brother
• Jasmine Jobson as Peyton, Bailey's mother
• Frankie Box as Kailey
• James Nelson-Joyce as Skate, Peyton's boyfriend
• Joanne Matthews as Debs
• Sarah Beth Harber as Dionne's Mum

Keoghan reportedly came aboard the project in May 2023 after leaving the cast of Ridley Scott epic Gladiator II.^[6] That same month Franz Rogowski was revealed to be in talks to join the cast.^[7]

Principal photography took place in the south of England with filming locations including Gravesend, Dartford, Ashford and Bean, Kent in June 2023.^[8][9] In July 2023 filming took place on the Isle of Sheppey.^[10] Robbie Ryan served as the cinematographer.

The soundtrack was scored by British electronic artist Burial. It also featured tracks by Fontaines D.C. and Sleaford Mods.^[11]

Bird was presented at the European Film Market as part of the Berlin International Film Festival, with Cornerstone Films handling sales.^[12] The film was selected in the main competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,^[13] where it premiered on 16 May 2024.^[3] Prior to, Mubi acquired UK and Irish distribution rights to the film from Cornerstone, then subsequently purchasing the distribution rights for North America and Turkey.^[14][15] The film will also play at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024.^[16] It will be released in theaters by Mubi in the United Kingdom and the United States on November 8, 2024, with a streaming release in Turkey on a later date.^[4]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 106 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Director Andrea Arnold strikes a coming-of-age chord through Nykiya Adams' moving performance, marrying fantasy and reality to the dizzying end."^[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 35 critic reviews indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[18]

The film received seven nominations at the British Independent Film Awards in November 2024.^[19]

• Bird at IMDb