Bird is directed by Oscar® winning director Andrea Arnold and stars Oscar nominee® Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, Banshees of Inisherin). Bailey (Nikiya Adams in her feature debut) lives with her brother Hunter and her father Bug, who raises them alone in a squat in northern Kent. Bug doesn't have much time to devote to them. Bailey looks for attention and adventure elsewhere and finds an unexpected magical friend called Bird.

​

Bird is quite likely one of the strangest films you will see this year - and that isn’t a criticism at all. The stark difference between the depths of poverty and neglect which is the reality in which Bailey and her family live is contrasted by the intricate fantasy elements. 

​

At first you would think that they would clash, drawing you, the viewer, out of the depths of the story itself. But it strangely doesn’t. This beautiful, winged fantastical creature contrasted with the depressing situation Bailey finds herself in lends a punch to this narrative like no other.

​

But at the heart of all of this is Nikiya Adams in her film debut with a performance that would have you believe that she has had decades in the acting profession. Franz Rogowski is equally charismatic as he is unsettling and Barry Keoghan seems to be having an absolute ball in this. 

​

Although the fantasy elements can be a little unsettling, at its heart Bird is a call to hope even among the chaos.