by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
I cried after I saw Wonder. Wept big crocodile tears in my car for a solid 15 minutes. Why? That will remain a mystery, because I don’t believe in putting my personal feelings on the internet (unless it’s directly related to the NBA). Nonetheless, Wonder has a lot of personal meaning to me. It also was surprisingly good, considering the blatant heartstring plucking in the marketing and movie itself. So when I saw that a pseudo-sequel was being made, I jumped at the chance to review it. Maybe there would be another good moral or theme that I could relate to. White Bird does its best to be worthy of its predecessor.
Sara Blum (Helen Mirren) recounts her adolescent life in Nazi-occupied France. Taken in by the kindly young Julien (Orlando Schwerdt), who walks with a limp after being afflicted with Polio at a young age, Sara (Arielle Glaser as the younger version of the character) lives in his family’s barn, hiding from the soldiers and radicalized citizens looking for her. The two bond over their struggles. It’s a time in her life that Sara does not like to discuss, but she believes it’s necessary to recount it to her grandson (Bryce Gheisar) so he might learn the value of being kind.
Cat out of the bag, the flash-forward scenes and narration takes me out of the story here. The only real purpose of the flash forwards are to connect this movie to Wonder. Older Sara’s grandson was one of the kids in the first movie, and he’s been struggling since its events. Our protagonists are young Sara and Julien. Going away from them is an unnecessary departure from the engine of the story. Mirren is a treasure, and I welcome seeing her cook on screen, but her role should have been severely limited, and there was no need to connect this movie to Wonder.
Now that my main critique of the plot is out of the way, Sara and Julian’s journey is very touching. Here’s two people fighting an uphill battle against the world, and through that, they find a kinship. It’s not an uncommon type of story, but it’s handled with grace here. Obviously this is a terrible time in human history, and it needs to be treated with the proper respect. At no point are the horrors of Nazi occupation watered down, but it does not stop these two from finding some joy in the world.
I particularly love the escapism the two create for each other in the barn. Whether they are doing school, reading, drawing, or turning an old timey car into a drive through scenic locations like Paris or New York, they find a way to create joy. They create a world outside the horrors beyond the barn. It helps the audience escape the war too.
Much credit needs to go to the young Glaser and Schwerdt. They are doing all the heavy lifting, and with ease. They have to be believably fearful at all times, while still having that fight for something greater inside them. I had not seen either of them in anything before, so I hope this is the beginning of two great careers.
More credit to the location scouts and visual departments, but just VFX. There are some magical moments and places here. Maybe it was the fact that I didn’t bring a hoodie into the auditorium, but I was freezing during some winter scenes. That setting and dressing adds to this desolate world our protagonists fight to overcome everyday.
I don’t know if it was worth multiple delays and presumably a lot of studio notes and edits, but I appreciated this movie. Hitting the bullseye again on my emotional dartboard like the first Wonder did is comparable to sinking a penny into a shot glass from 90 feet away. So with my expectations tempered, I can see this is a good movie.
Rating: Liked It
White Bird is currently playing in theaters
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