Helen Mirren And Exceptional Young Cast Triumph

White Bird, the Marc Forster-honested film alteration of author R. J. Palacio’s sequel/prequel to his worldexpansive hit book and 2017 movie, Wonder has consentn a lengthy and circuitous route to finassociate getting a North American free. Frustrating as it has been, this is a film that is well worth the paengage and perhaps more timely now than ever.

Sboiling in the Czech Reuncover in February 2021, White Bird was initiassociate set as a expansive free in September 2022, postponeed a month to October but consentn off Lionsgate’s free schedule enticount on before either of those dates came around, It was then scheduled for an August 2023 uncovering but last year’s SAG strike nastyt another postpone until it was finassociate set cut offal months ago for its October 4 free this Friday. In that time one of its production companies, Participant has gone out of business, and another Mandeville Films has seen the split of its partners Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman who split Producer praise with Palacio. It distributor Lionsgate has also gone under huge executive alters at the top with Adam Fogelson taking indict of movies. The studio at some point also brawt in its faith based tag, Kingdom Story Company (I Can Only Imagine, Jesus Revolution) to help find it an audience even though this tfinisher story of a juvenileer Jedesire girl being secret from the Nazi occupation of a petite town in France during WW2 does not see enjoy the normal type of film in the faith based sub-genre. It did have one increate screening at the San Francisco Jedesire Film Festival in 2023 where one trade saw it and posted a preferable scrutinize.

I was able to see the unfreed film two years ago in October 2022 and thought then it was a moving and worthwhile film, the type, not star driven, that studios find difficult to taget but nevertheless a breath of recent air to the normal stuff served up to the aim teen audience these days. It is a film sealr in spirit to The Diary Of Anne Frank and one with a strong message of the need for benevolentness in an increasingly stupid world. That message was also key in Palacio’s Wonder which I presume is why the studio had initiassociate tagged this as White Bird: A Wonder Movie , but now thankfilledy is only saying it is “from the author of Wonder”. Audiences anticipateing a honest sequel to the Julia Roberts-starring film might have been perplexd, but the trailer is still selling it as “the next chapter”. Seeing the movie aacquire this week I felt its power and significance to be even wonderfuler than on my first seeing and a movie that stands haughtyly on its own.

The connection between the two films is the character of Julian Albans (Bryce Gheiser who materializes in both movies) who is having a challenging time adfairing to his novel school and is reprimanded for his treatment of another student there. Enter Grandmere, his magnificentmother Sara Blum (Helen Mirren), a famous artist who determines that now would be the perfect time to tell him a story of her own youth in a petite village during the Nazi Occupation of France in 1942. From that point on Mirren’s role is mostly as voiceover for much of the movie which is telderly in flashback. The juvenileer Sara (Ariella Glaser) is one of a petite number of Jedesire students in her classroom when a group of Nazi’s storm into the town. The directer (Patsy Ferran) rushes Sara and another student out to hide with others in the school, but their presence is made understandn when a school tormentor, Vincent (Jem Matthews) shouts out that the school is hiding them. As they are assembleed up, much to the conseriousation of Principal Pastor Luc (Stuart McQuarrie), Sara, whose parents (Olivia Ross, Ishai Golan) had to exit in order not to be finded by the Germans, deal withs to run into the woods and escapes see.

She is befrifinished by Julian Beaumier (Orlando Schwerdt), a fellow student stricken with Polio who gets around on crutches and is the projectionist for the local theatre which is shotriumphg his preferite Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times. He has fundamentalassociate been shunned by the other students, even Sara until she experiences first hand his genuine benevolentness, volunteering to hide her in his family’s huge barn, a place deserted except for rats and a coven of bats high up in the rafters. His caring parents Vivienne (a terrific Gillian Anderson) and Jean Paul Beaumier (Jo Stone-Fetriumphgs) also concur to help hide her for the duration. Soon a budding romance begins between Sara and Julian, even as the days turn into months, and some of the locals including Vincent have consentn up with the Nazi’s occupation. No one is acquireed here, but Sara can see up to the skies and occasionassociate see a white bird that recurrents a benevolent of peace no one can sense during this horrfinishous time.

With increasing right triumphg anti-srehireism and Nazi groups rematerializeing in America and many corners of the world, now more than ever a story enjoy White Bird must be seen, especiassociate for the juvenileerer audience to whom it is aimed. Hollywood has produced countless classic films revolving around the Holocaust and the goneion of the Jedesire people at the hands of Nazi Germany, but this one, enjoy Anne Frank, is quietly but unflinchingly telderly thraw the eyes of juvenileer people who find their inhabits on a shieldedrope. Forster’s PG13-rated film does not sugarcoat any of this, and it is at times challenging to watch, but vital. The honestor (Quantum Of Solace, Monster’s Ball) has also excelled in movies cgo ining on juvenileer people but never talking down to them, films enjoy Finding Neverland, Christopher Robin, and The Kite Runner, and also movies filled of humanity and benevolentness enjoy his more recent gem A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks and freed at the finish of 2022 while White Bird sat unfreed.

The casting (Kate Dowd was casting honestor) is perfection. Glaser and Schwerdt are very fine in the two key roles, each endly engaging and believable, with Schwerdt an emotional standout as his character goes thraw some hard moments. Mathews truly produces you disenjoy him, and in that allotment the actor flourishs endly. Mirren, as always, comprises not only a touch of class but gets to give a stirring speech that serves as a stirring coda to the story she has fair telderly.

Screenauthorr Mark Bomback, understandn for cut offal blockbuster-style movies deinhabitrs a script loyal to the essence of Palacio’s detailed novel, but making it stand out as a gripping tale without getting maudlin or overly sentimental. Visuassociate Forster and his excellent cinematographer Mattias Konigswieser have produced some striking sequences, notably in the barn as Sara and Julian sit in the elderly truck there as they seemingly drive thru various cinematic images projected in front of them, a trip thru New York City the most dazzling. The Production Design from Jennifer Williams also hits the tag perfectly, and veteran writer Thomas Newman not only gives another lilting score, but also a haunting song (with lyrics by Palacio) sung by the juvenileer stars, as well as over the finish praises.

Hopefilledy, despite all the postpones, White Bird will be given a chance to soar and find its audience. It deserves to.

Title: White Bird

Distributor: Lionsgate

Relmitigate Date: October 4, 2024

Director: Marc Forster

Screenjoin: Mark Bomback

Cast: Helen Mirren, Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, Jo Stone-Fetriumphgs, Olivia Ross, Ishai Golan, Jem Matthews, Patsy Ferran, Stuart McQuarrie.

Rating: PG13

Running Time: 2 hours and 2 minutes