The Bird May Die
Sunday, October 22, 2017 6:28:38 PM | (Age Not Specified)
"The Bird May Die" is a foreign language film (in Farsi, I believe) that follows a woman and her teenaged daughter who have emigrated to Canada in an attempt to flee her abuse husband. The director follows his main characters without resorting to melodrama. Instead, he allows the screenplay to unfold at a steady pace, resulting in a measured film that avoids sensationalism until some wild plot developments late in the proceedings.
The film's technical aspects are all first rate. It is well photographed and edited, and all of the actors deliver competent, though not exceptional, performances. Some of the subtitles are poorly translated, using incorrect grammatical phrases and words not spelled correctly. The relationship between the main character and her daughter is the center of the film, and their tension filled exchanges are realistic.
Despite its excessive length (118 minutes), I was able to remain interested in the characters, and was invested in the outcome of the plot.