Is the bird a good movie? Here’s what viewers think about Andrea Arnold’s film

Known for his very authentic style and vision of youth, Andrea Arnold returns with The Bird, a new film presented at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. It tells the story of 12-year-old Bailey, who lives with her young father. When she learns that the latter is getting married, the heroine enters a crucial moment in the teenager’s life. It was then that he met a strange man named Chit.

Between a lady and a fantasy tale, the film proves that the director’s very special methods – such as filming with non-professional actors – always have their effect. After going without an award at Cannes, did the bird still seduce the public?

On AlloCiné, the film received a press average of 3.9 out of 5. This is the best rating since another of his feature films, Fish Tank, released in 2009. As for viewers, the bird received a rating of 3.7 out of 5*, respectively. With great success by Andrea Arnold – American Honey rated 3.9 and Fish Tank also rated 3.7.

What did the viewers think?

According to Ian Feig (5 out of 5): “Ultra-mastered direction serves up a brilliant story full of angst and emotion, and where the fantasy isn’t too far off, I already have my favorite movie of the year.”

According to Corinne33 (5 out of 5): “A very tense film in its rhythm, but brilliant in the meeting of these two cripples, who survive through poetry, in a world of brutal violence. Welcome to the beauty and dreams of birds.”

According to Cadreum (4.5 out of 5): “Visually, Arnold creates tactile and sensory work. Each frame (the winged wings of a bird, the gaze torn by emotion) pulses with an intensity that captures the soul of the subjects. Blurs, tight frames, bursts of light flash across the screen like glimmers of hope, while maintaining a stark isolation.“

According to LCDC YT (4 of 5): “Poetic and like its director, D’Arnold’s film presents itself as a surprising, disturbing, but above all intense moment of cinema, which remains special in its realistic approach to cinema, but very fair, especially in acting..”

According to Ratafia (4 of 5):This is England! More energetic than the previous one from the same director (Fish Tank, already very good), especially with a Trainspotting-esque soundtrack that tingles and the charming Franz Rogowski, The Bird takes you at high speed through the unspoiled areas of Kent. As you leave the room, a stream of adjectives assails you: violent, dreamy, fantastical and above all wonderfully original. Must see!“

According to Severin Bulanti (4 of 5): “A poetic favourite, true virtuosity led the cast to exquisite and refined precision, we are literally taken.“

According to Naughty Doc (3.5 out of 5): “An image that could have been grafted a little better, but manages to carry through to the finale.“

According to Sylvain P. (2.5 out of 5): “Lots of length in this urban poem. The characters of this atypical family (a father in his thirties, his teenage children, a daughter-in-law, an ex-wife martyred by a poisoned partner, etc.).”

According to Helen (2 of 5): “Of course, cinema and quality production. But what can I say? A tangled, violent film that artificially combines genres without uniting them: social cinema, dreamer, symbolic. Everything seemed endless and the handheld camera is very tiring.“

According to Pierre Cusor (2 of 5): “I didn’t know this director, and I made sure to see the first film of a young woman who had just started. Just like his heroes, Andrea Arnold, in his sixties and with a long filmography, lacks the qualities of maturity.“

to finish

The Bird will appeal to audiences sensitive to Andrea Arnold’s style, its poetic, fantastical dimension, and its haunting portrait of a youth left to its own devices. The main strength of the film is also in the interpretation of its talented actors. This mix of genres may also turn some people off, as some critics have pointed out.

*Average viewership ratings recorded at the time of writing are subject to change.

You can see Andrea Arnold’s Bird in the cinema.