White Bird Movie Review & Giveaway

Many thanks to Kingdom Faith Marketing Services for providing a sample of the film for review. My opinions are 100% my own.

During the horrors of the German Holocaust, my family lost five members of our immediate family; my paternal Great-Grandfather Aleksander’s sister, brother-in-law, and their three children; all under the age of seven. A tragedy that has brought the awareness of the atrocities of the Second World War into focus for myself and millions of others throughout the world.

Similarly seen in the new Holocaust drama “White Bird,” based on the graphic novel, of the same name, by R.J. Palacio, and directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland), an expander to Stephan Chbosky’s “Wonder.” In “White Bird,” a French grandmother reminisces her childhood foibles to her grandson, Julian, over tolerance, teenage angst, and shared childhood uncertainties.

“White Bird” begins with Julian, being belittled by peers, while attending an elite Manhattan prep school, similar to how he, himself, treated others, in not being able to join friends at the lunchroom, and being made aware that he was instead sitting at the “loser’s table.” Leaving Julian ostracized and unable to fit in.

His Grandmère Sara (Helen Mirren), who’s in New York for an exhibition of her art, tells Julian the main tale of this film. An event in 1942 in the Alsatian region of France, where fifteen-year-old Sara (Ariella Glaser), a Jewish girl whose mother and father (Olivia Ross and Ishai Golan) refuse to believe that they will be unable to escape Nazi occupation, in their season ahead.

Their aspirations are soon dashed when Sara, formed into hiding in the barn owned by the family of a classmate, Julien Beaumier (Orlando Schwerdt), nicknamed “The Crab,” a young man walking with braces due to a Polio diagnosis. As time passes, Sara, protected by Julian’s family (Gillian Anderson and Jo-Stone Fewings), grows closer. Soon, however, times take a sharp turn for the pair. A shift that embroils their closest friends, family, community, and country into the grotesque tropes of the Second World War.

A positive point of the film is its cinematography. Photographed in a wide, picturesque format, “White Bird” showcases 20th-century France in golden hues and softened tones. With houses and towns shot in picturesque scenes, this tale of unspeakable societal horrors mixes soft landscapes and clever imagery that lovers of cinematography will enjoy. Showing less the gritty horrors of the war and the unspeakable atrocities of the Nazi regime, focusing instead on a neat packaging of one of society’s greatest tragedies. That, even for an adolescent film, leaves this lover of history, with a familiar understanding of the time, who having lived in France, myself, much to be desired. However, for others, the “White Bird” film will be a memorable piece.

In the greater scheme, this youth-based romanticized tale sends an overall positive message of hope and healing. As Grandmère Sara states, “You’re there to forget many things in life, but you never forget kindness.” A message that so many modern, real-world individuals could gain from such a sweet, simple message. Encouraging us all to be brave and kind.

You can buy tickets today to see “White Bird” in theaters starting October 4th! Readers can also enter to win a $10.00 Amazon.com gift card courtesy of Momentum Influencers. Please note, this giveaway is limited to United States winners only. Winning Submissions will be verified. Submissions on various platforms within this same period will be excluded. Gift cards will be sent via email to winners providing verified email addresses. This giveaway ends October 10, 2024, at 11:59 P.M. CST. Good luck!

Now I want to ask, why do you want to see the new “White Bird” film in Threates starting October 4, 20024? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.