WHITE BIRD: Anne Frank For Kids
By Harrison J. Bahe
Struggling to fit in at his new school after being expelled for his treatment of Auggie Pullman, Julian is visited by his grandmother and is transformed by the story of her attempts to escape Nazi-occupied France during World War II.
Having never seen the film Wonder, I walked into White Bird with the context of what kind of film Wonder was. Fortunately, you don’t need to see the first entry to enjoy its sequel as they are completely separate and wildly different films in their own right. White Bird is a touching film about innocence in the face of hatred and survival in the face of adversity. First there was the book Wonder in 2012 written by R.J. Palacio and then there was its film adaptation in 2017. Then came some spin off books in the form of graphic novels entitled Auggie and Me and White Bird, which is where this film stems from. At first, I thought this was a completely separate story that was shoved into the Wonder narrative. I was relieved to find that this story sprouted organically from the main narrative.
Lead actors Ariella Graser and Orlando Schwerdt handle the subject matter with relative ease, transitioning from a kid friendly drama to a dark war film. Bryce Gheisar reprises his role from the first Wonder film and juggles that shunned, broken bully mentality with a young man trying to find new footing in an unfamiliar world. All while legendary screen presence Helen Mirren anchors the narrative with dramatic bravado. Plot wise, however, the film does play heavily to a familiar yet progressive storyline following recognizable beats and plotpoints. Nothing is too shocking if you even have a basic understanding of storytelling. This is happening so this can happen later which sets up an obvious finale.
White Bird is a sentimental film that makes the dark tragedy of the Holocaust palatable for young viewers. It plays on the basic emotions of its viewers and tugs at the heart strings. Despite the basic nature of its story, it is still a powerful morality tale that is fit for the whole family which is why I give White Bird—
3.5 Drawings out of 5
White Bird is Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, thematic material and language and is currently playing in theaters nationwide.