“White Bird”: A Young Romance in Times of War
Created as a companion to Wonder, White Bird presents us a love story set during the war.
Summary
In the Nazi-occupied France of 1942, Sara, a young Jewish girl, escapes the Gestapo with the help of one of her classmates. Separated from her family and everything she knows, Sara finds comfort and hope in the kindness of her new friends.
A Sequel (and Prequel) to Wonder
White Bird is a sequel to the 2017 film Wonder, which follows August (Jacob Trembley), a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome who becomes a target of bullying. At the end of the film, Julian, the main bully, leaves the school for good.
The sequel picks up some time after that, when Julian is struggling to adapt to his new life. A surprise visit from his grandmother Sara, a World War II survivor, helps him reflect on his past behavior and the consequences of his actions.
Even though Julian has a direct connection to the previous film, most of White Bird’s running time focuses on the grandmother telling her story, so it can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone project.
Grandmother’s Tale of Survival
Sara talks to her grandchild about her experience as a Jew in the Nazi-occupied France. Her comfortable life as the only daughter of an accommodated and loving family comes to an end when Jews start to be imprisoned and sent to concentration camps. The kindness of one of her classmates, Julien Beaumier, allows her to evade the Gestapo, but her parents are not as lucky.
For over a year, Julien and his family do everything they can to keep Sara safe. She is not allowed to go outside, for the Beaumiers suspect their nosy neighbors of being Gestapo informants. But the family’s barn is turned into a cozier place for her benefit, and the parents take care of her as if she were their own child.
Julian comes by every night to keep her company, help her go on with the school lessons, and bring her little presents now and then. With every passing month, what started as a hesitant friendship between them, slowly blossoms into love.
The Power of Generosity in Dark Times
I was not expecting much from this project; it seemed to focus exclusively on a teenage audience, but I must admit it surprised me.
The characters are very likeable. The film does not try to make Sara a perfect hero. Telling the story as an adult, she describes herself as somehow spoiled and selfish. Teenage Sara cares a lot about appearances and popularity and sometimes fails to do the right thing. She had never noticed Julien before he helped her, and even though she did not bully him with the rest of the class, she didn’t defend him either. We see the character grow and become more resilient and mindful.
The young actors do an amazing job in their roles, and you can get truly invested in their story. Their love becomes a beacon of hope and innocence among the horrors of the war, and the film manages to paint this as a fantasy land for the characters, a refuge from the darkness they have to face every day.
But above all, White Bird focuses on how kindness and generosity are so important, especially in the darkest of times. A small action is capable of changing the course of an entire life.
Box Office Numbers
Even though the critical reception was good, White Bird did not bring many people to the theaters. According to the information available online, the production budget for the film was $20.000.000, which is not much for a studio like Lionsgate. But so far, the global box office has only amounted to a little over $8.400.000.
I liked it very much. While it is indeed a project more geared towards a young audience, and it’s not an award-worthy production, the storytelling is quite enjoyable. As a product for teens, I found it age appropriate, but I dare say many adults will find it interesting as well.
A romantic movie that focuses on real human connection and makes a clear effort to develop its characters, is always a good find. If that sounds like something you can enjoy, White Bird may be a great option for you.
