15/50

Bailey is looking elsewhere for attention and adventure

Tale

Bailey lives with his brother Hunter and father Bug, who is raising them alone in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time to devote to them. Barry Keoghan dropped out of Gladiator II (2024) to star in this film instead.

Mounted at Fontaines DC: Bug (2024)

'Bird' it has similarities with Andrea Arnold’s earlier film 'Fishtank' where an estranged teenage girl puts herself in grave danger trying to escape loneliness and family dysfunction. In this new work, Arnold focuses on pre-teen Bailey who lives in a chaotic squat with her father and older brother. Her dad, Bug, plans to marry his sleazy new girlfriend, while her troubled mother lives nearby in even more miserable conditions with an abusive boyfriend, a bunch of Bailey’s younger siblings, and a long-suffering puppy named Dave.

After an argument with Bug, Bailey follows a group of street kids involved in some random crime

None of the adults in her universe seem capable of providing much guidance, leaving Bailey to chart her own path. After eluding the police, sleeping in a field and being awakened by a horse, she meets a stranger in a kilt called Bird. This eccentric traveler was born in the area, grew up elsewhere and is trying to find the father he barely remembers.

After some hesitation, Bailey decides to help him

Nykiya Adams gives a brave and convincing performance in the lead role as Bailey’s search for Bird’s search is mixed with other digressions, distractions and subplots. Her seemingly aimless wanderings eventually lead to a revelatory moment that is depicted in a remarkable sequence where the film briefly moves away from gritty realism and into the realm of the fantastic. Arnold somehow pulls off this trick, turning his urban drama into an intense and unforgettable fairy tale.