White Bird: A Wonder Story

 

“You forget many things in life, but you never forget kindness. Like love, it stays with you forever.”

Tender, tragic and an absolute tearjerker, White Bird: A Wonder Story manages to capture the horrors of the Holocaust in a harrowing yet healing coming-of-age story that champions the best of humanity’s kindness in the face of the worst of humanity’s hatred with pertinently profound impact. 

Discussion Points:

Any film that is set amongst the backdrop of the Holocaust is always going to be shadowed by tragedy and horror. But White Bird: A Wonder Story shines a bright light of hope and kindness into this dark time of history to depict the bravery and sacrifice of those who were willing to shelter Jews from the Nazis at great risk to themselves. Ariella Glaser and Orlando Schwerdt make for a powerfully resonant pairing capturing the innocence of youth, first love and hope in the face of adversity. As a spin-off from Wonder, it retains a core thematic focus on kindness and rejecting prejudice, and the framing device of Helen Mirren narrating her childhood in Nazi-occupied France to her grandson Julian provides a solid framework to explore themes of intergenerational trauma and legacy. It’s a film that is both deeply sad and eventually triumphant in the face of great evil with great performances, and hefty amounts of heart. A really special film that made me absolutely bawl my eyes out. Strong recommend.