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Mashable

Mashable

'Bird' review: Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age fable comes up slightly short

Mashable
Summary
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75% Informative

Andrea Arnold's first fiction film, Bird , follows a poor 12-year-old 's coming-of-age in Southeast England .

It's as much about grimy, tangible details as it is about ethereal ideas of what the lens can (and cannot) see.

The film doesn't quite fit together, but its individual pieces can be dazzling.

The film is at its most potent when dipping its toe into Bailey 's perspective.

The film's enigmatic presence, as briefly seen through Bailey 's eyes, is just alluring enough.

However, rather than exploring its latent symbolism, the film soon begins straying into awfully literal territory.

It can't seem to maintain its sense of mystery for very long.