Not to be confused with Clint Eastwood’s acclaimed biopic of Charlie Parker, which has the same title, this is the latest film by acclaimed auteur Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, American Honey).
How to watch Bird in New Zealand
Bird is screening in New Zealand cinemas from February 20, 2025.
Bird (2024)
What is Bird about?
A sort of grim coming-of-age tale with a dash of magical realism, Bird takes us to grim council estate where 12-year-old Bailey is dealing with all manner of drama. Her dad, Bug, is about to get married to Kailey, a woman he’s only known for a few months; her half-brother, Hunter, has joined some kind of vigilante group/gang; and things are generally as bleak as that other avian-themed British realist drama, Kes. But into her life comes the titular and mysterious Bird, a man searching for his long-lost mother, who used to live in the same manor as Bailey and her troubled family. But there’s something a bit otherworldly about Bird, as we shall soon find out…
The cast of Bird
Nykiya Adams is Bailey; Barry Keoghan is Bug, Bailey’s dad (and it’s worth noting Keoghan skipped out on Gladiator II to take this role); Franz Rogowski is Bird; Jason Buda is Hunter, Bailey’s half-brother; Jasmine Jobson is Peyton, Bailey’s mother; Frankie Box is Kailey; James Nelson-Joyce is Skate, Peyton’s boyfriend; Joanne Matthews is Debs; Jason Williamson is Fred; and Sarah Beth Harber as Dionne’s Mum, which is a bit weird as we can’t find mention of a Dionne anywhere else.
Bird trailer
Why we’re excited about Bird
Andrea Arnold has yet to miss. We are avowed fans of her work, which tends to cast an unflinching but empathetic gaze over the lives of the marginalised and maligned. Critical response has been absolutely effusive, and that little fantastical element we hinted at (we’d love to say more, but you’re much better off discovering it first hand) is just the icing on the cake.
