Review of "White Bird" by Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren

I was crying a lot when Wonder had me, but White Bird never really brought me down on Afdah Movie. I never felt really immersed in these characters' circumstances beyond wishing for their survival under Marc Forster's guidance. Although the direction was understandably depressing, the serene moments weren't in line with the chosen aesthetic. Based on his filmography, Forster has produced some rather dismal, colorless, and uninspired pieces over the years. With a strong focus on the YA audience, White Bird features a number of outstanding performances and is a worthwhile watch for younger audiences. Although there are far more educational films available, this one might be a good fit for the target group because it is set during World War II.

It is a welcome change from the typical fare offered to the intended teenage demographic these days. It is a movie that is more akin to The Diary of Anne Frank and has a powerful message about the importance of kindness in an increasingly cruel world. That message was also crucial in Palacio’s Wonder, which I presume is why the studio had initially tagged this as White Bird: A Wonder Movie but now luckily is only claiming it is “from the author of Wonder.” Though the trailer continues to market it as "the next chapter," viewers may have been puzzled if they were expecting a straight sequel to the Julia Roberts movie. This week, when I saw the film again, I was struck by its profundity and strength.

Enter Grandmere, his grandmother Sara Blum, a well-known artist who believes this is the ideal moment to share with him her childhood in a little village in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France. From then on, Mirren mostly provides voice-overs for the majority of the flashback-based film. When a gang of Nazis storms into town, the young Sara is one of the only Jewish pupils in her school. When a school bully named Vincent yells that the school is hiding Sara and another kid, the instructor rushes them outside to hide with other students. To much annoyance, as they are picked up.