After several years of teasing us, White Bird is finally hitting theaters. And despite all of the delays, the timing might actually be perfect for this WWII movie of survival.
After moving to a new school Julian finds himself as the odd one out at school and has to choose which type of friend he wants to have and be to others in his school. When he gets home from his first day at his new prep school, he finds his Grandmother (Grandmère) there, and she finally tells him her story and experience during World War II. While I’m not always a fan of the storytelling as the main narrative motivator to the movie, White Bird seems to pull it off. It’s these stories that are lost to time, and would not be one that would be conveyed easily without the storyteller portion.
Grandmère’s story is about her life as a young Jewish girl during World War II. While they think their French town is safe, the German occupation is getting closer daily and rounding up Jewish people in nearby cities. While at school one day, her teacher rushes her and another student out of the room in an attempt to save them from being taken to the camps. Ariella (Grandmère) is able to get away and is stopped by another student Julien. Julien helps Ariella to safety and with the help of his family keeps her concealed in their barn for months.
While the topic in White Bird is heavy, it doesn’t seem like there is enough to prepare you for some of the scenes in the movie. Even if you’ve seen countless WWII movies in the past. But even then, it doesn’t show a lot of the atrocities that other movies show, but some still take your breath away. While the marketing seems lighthearted, and to bank on hope, which is a good thing, it seems to try to soften the darkness that still happened. While there is some hope throughout the film, and the message to help your neighbors and others that are different, it still will bring you to tears.
The movie has been slated to release and removed so many times that the trailer has been in front of a ton of movies. And I’m not sure that even the trailer can convey the weight of the film. There are touches of fantasy the teens make to escape the desolate world they’re in, but the messaging is still clear. It’s release next week is well-timed. While we like to think this type of atrocity could never happen again, with the current state of the world and even our own country it could easily be conceivable again. The movie is eye-opening and has a good story that can hopefully bring some compassion out of some audience members.
WHITE BIRD is Coming to Theaters Nationwide on Friday.
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About White Bird
From the world of Wonder, which sparked a movement to “choose kind,” comes the inspirational next chapter: WHITE BIRD. Struggling to fit in at his new school after being expelled for his treatment of Auggie Pullman, Julian (Bryce Gheisar) is visited by his grandmother (Helen Mirren) and is transformed by the compassionate and heroic story of her attempts to escape Nazi-occupied France during WWII. From the director of Finding Neverland, WHITE BIRD reminds us to be brave and choose kind.