Rating 6/10
It’s 1942, and a young Jewish girl named Sara Blum (Ariella Glaser) is forced into hiding after her family is targeted by the Nazis in occupied France. Sara is sheltered by Julien Beaumie (Orlando Schwerdt), a classmate who suffers from polio and is often ridiculed by their peers. The two form an unlikely friendship. They bond over their shared love of art and imagination, finding solace in each other amidst the horrors of war. A white bird seems to appear whenever she needs comfort. As an aspiring artist, Sara incorporates the symbol of hope into her drawings.
Eclectic director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, The Kite Runner) returns to the emotional dramas of his early career. White Bird is written by Mark Bomback based on a graphic novel by R.J. Palacio. The saga connects to a minor character from Palacio’s earlier work, Wonder, which became a movie in 2017. Unfortunately, a needless framing device stretches a straightforward plot so the pacing drags. It begins in the modern day with former bully Julian Albans (Bryce Gheisar). His Grandmère (Helen Mirren) recounts her childhood during World War II so Julian can learn compassion. She was the adolescent Sara, hidden from the Nazis by the family of disabled student Julien Beaumie.
White Bird is such a well-meaning Holocaust drama that it feels churlish to list its shortcomings. The teaching of tolerance through a historical narrative is admirable. However, the polished mood feels a bit removed from the intensity of the Holocaust. Granted, children dodge bullets on several occasions, and a significant character is shockingly murdered. Nevertheless, it somehow manages to be both sanitized and traumatic. The teen romance and the depth of the moral message are too rudimentary for anyone over 12. Furthermore, I didn’t need contemporary-sounding pop songs from the likes of Post Malone and Sia on the soundtrack.
This is a nice introduction to a complex and confusing period for the young. Most adults will have seen this subject presented with more power in other films (The Diary of Anne Frank, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Schindler’s List, Life Is Beautiful). If you need to be taught that courage, empathy, and kindness are good things, then you’re at the right age for this treatment. White Bird is a powerful lesson for those still learning their importance.
10-08-24