The general-purpose feature film stars Helen Mirren as the narrator and Gillian Anderson as the Frenchwoman welcoming a Jewish teenager fleeing the Germans during World War II.
Marc Forster (World War Z) falls into family drama by directing, for the big screen, this adaptation of the graphic novel by RJ Palacio. Kind of a sequel to Wonderful with Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay, White bird features the childhood memories of Sara Blum (Helen Mirren), Julian’s (Bryce Gheisar) grandmother.
In the same vein as Her name was Sarah, White bird sketches in broad strokes the fate reserved for the Jews after the invasion of France by the Germans.
Sara Blum (Ariella Glaser) lives in a village in the south of France, in a free zone, that is to say one not occupied by Hitler’s forces. But everything changes when German troops arrive in the town and ask the school to round up all the Jewish children.
Sara manages to escape this roundup and is hidden by Julien (Orlando Schwerdt), her classmate, in the barn of her parents’ house (Gillian Anderson and Jo Stone-Fewings). Constantly fearing being denounced by neighbors, Sara spent many months in seclusion not knowing what had become of her parents.
In wanting to address 10-13 year olds, Mark Bomback’s script is sometimes sentimental. Historical shortcuts and a lack of nuance therefore weigh heavily White bird. But these faults are redeemed, so to speak, by the performances of the young actors, all perfect, who give certain scenes an appreciable emotional depth. The presence of Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson, even if fleeting, adds a welcome touch of professionalism to what could have been just a television feature aimed at young people.
Rating: 3 out of 5
White bird hits theaters across the province on October 4.
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