TIFF24: Barry Keoghan Is Chaotic and Charming in Bird

I was pleasantly surprised by Bird at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The drama was delicately filmed, notable American Honey director Andria Arnold embraced the point of view of a 12-year-old girl trying to find her place in the world, wishing she was older than she was but not fully letting go of her impressive imagination. After its festival run, Bird should hit theaters on November 8th.

We follow Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams) through her adventures over a week leading up to her father’s wedding. Her father, Bug (Saltburn star Barry Keoghan), is a hustler, always looking for the next quick buck or grift and throughout Bird, he’s counting on the slime of a frog that is supposedly hallucinogenic. Despite having to tween children and a stepchild under three-years-old living in a two-room squatters den in Kent, Bug is no stranger to partying into the night and keeping drugs around, however, he’s not a terrible father either he cares for his kids 

Bailey shares a room with her half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda, in his feature debut) who is following in their father’s footsteps to become a father at 14. While following around her older brother, Bailey runs across a peculiar man named Bird (Transit and Passages standout Franz Rogoswski). 

Bird was born in Kent but hadn’t been there since he was a child. Bailey takes it upon herself to help him find his family which takes us to meet Bailey’s mother and her three half-siblings. Bailey’s mother seems to flit from one doomed relationship to another. Her mother’s current boyfriend appears to be abusive which Bailey takes on as another problem to solve herself. 

Throughout her adventures, Bailey takes videos on her phone which gets her in a little trouble but also contributes to the imaginative realism of the film. She rewatches these clips through a mall projector directed at her wall. It’s a magical piece of filmmaking granting us a greater understanding of Bailey’s view of the world both appreciative and critical. at points, she uses the phone’s camera as a means of defence and at others as a coping distraction from her chaotic home life. 

Bird’s sudden presence in her life creates a purpose for Bailey to pursue which takes her mind into the consequences of another. Bird instills confidence in Bailey, comfort and inspiration. Together, they unlock the mystery of Bird’s past and confront the dangers in Bailey’s present. 

The film takes a stark magical realism turn in the final act where Bird becomes a bird. He grows feathers and a beak and offers Bailey the protection she needs that no one else has the time to give her. It made me question whether was he ever real. Surely, he must have been because he interacted with other characters, but he could not have grown feathers, right? Was it Bailey’s imagination that went into overdrive to protect her from what she was witnessing?

The quandries are numerous and fascinating coming out of TIFF24 with this film. At least we know, in the end, as Bailey wears the bridesmaid jumpsuit at her father’s wedding and reluctantly appreciates what hope has entered her life, we see her with Bird’s mystical eyes and know that she is capable, she is her comfort, she is her protector. Bird is a coming-of-age film that evokes a childlike wonder for the audience. That gritty bit of imagination that we all used to make sense of events and people we didn’t fully understand but learned from nonetheless.