White Bird, directed by Marc Forster, a film adaptation of author RJ Palacio’s sequel/prequel to his 2017 global hit book and film Wonder, it took a long and circuitous route to finally get a North American release. As frustrating as it was, it’s a movie worth waiting for and perhaps more relevant now than ever.

The photos were shot in the Czech Republic in February 2021, White Bird initially scheduled for a wide release in September 2022, delayed a month to October, and then completely scrapped Lionsgate’s release schedule before either date arrived. It was then scheduled to open in August 2023, but last year’s SAG strike meant another delay until it was finally set a few months ago to premiere this Friday, October 4.

During this time, one of its production companies, Participant, went bankrupt, and another, Mandeville Films, saw the split of its partners Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman, who share producing credits here with Palacio. Distributor Lionsgate also underwent major management changes, with Adam Fogelson taking over filming duties. At some point, the studio also established its own religious label, Kingdom Story Company (I can only imagine Jesus’ revolution) help find an audience, even though this emotional story of a young Jewish woman hidden from the Nazi occupation of a small town in France during World War II does not resemble a typical film from the faith subgenre. It had one short screening at the 2023 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, where one industry saw it and posted a positive review.

I managed to see the unreleased film two years ago, in October 2022, and then I thought it was a moving and valuable film, the kind of film, not a star-studded one that is difficult for studios to sell. Nevertheless, it’s a breath of fresh air from the usual stuff currently served to its target teenage audience. It’s a film closer to the spirit Anne Frank’s diary and one that carries a strong message about the need for kindness in an increasingly dark world. This message was also key in Palacio’s case Wonder, and I suppose that’s why the studio initially labeled it as White Bird: A wonderful movie but now, fortunately, it only says that it comes “from the author Wonder.” Viewers expecting a direct sequel to the 2017 Julia Roberts film may have been confused, but the trailer still sells it as the “next chapter.” Watching the film again this week, I felt its power and importance even greater than the first time I saw it, and the film stands proud in its own right.

The link between both films is the character of Julian Albans (Bryce Gheiser, who appears in both films), who has difficulty adapting to his new school and is reprimanded for his treatment of another student there. Enter Grandmere, his grandmother Sara Blum (Helen Mirren), a famous artist, who decides that now is the perfect time to tell him the story of her own youth in a small village during the Nazi occupation of France in 1942. From this point For most of the film, Mirren serves primarily as voice-over, with the story told in flashbacks. Young Sara (Ariella Glaser) is one of the few Jewish students in her class when a group of Nazis invades the city. The teacher (Patsy Ferran) drives Sarah and another student out to hide with the others at school, but their presence is revealed when school bully Vincent (Jem Matthews) shouts that the school is hiding them. As they gather, to the dismay of the head pastor, Luc (Stuart McQuarrie), Sara, whose parents (Olivia Ross, Ishai Golan) had to leave to avoid being detected by the Germans, manages to run into the forest and escape notice.

She is befriended by Julian Beaumier (Orlando Schwerdt), a schoolmate suffering from polio, who uses crutches and is a projector operator at the local theater where his favorite film “Charlie Chaplin” is shown. Modern times. The other students, even Sara, basically rejected him until she experienced his true kindness firsthand and volunteered to hide it in the family’s large barn, a place empty except for rats and a coven of bats high in the rafters. His empathetic parents Vivienne (the wonderful Gillian Anderson) and Jean Paul Beaumier (Jo Stone-Fewings) also agree to help her hide for a while. A budding romance soon begins between Sarah and Julian, although the days turn into months and some of the locals, including Vincent, have begun a Nazi occupation. No one is safe here, but Sara can look up at the sky and occasionally see a white bird, which represents the peace that no one can know in this terrible time.

With the rise of right-wing anti-Semitism and the re-emergence of Nazi groups in America and many corners of the world, now more than ever a story like White Bird a must-see, especially for the younger audience it’s aimed at. Hollywood has produced many classic films about the Holocaust and the extinction of the Jewish people at the hands of Nazi Germany, but this one, like Anne Frank, is calmly but uncompromisingly told through the eyes of young people whose lives are balancing on a tightrope. Forster’s PG-13 film doesn’t beat around the bush and is difficult to watch at times, but it’s necessary. Director (Quantum Of Solace, Monster Ball) He also excelled in films that focused on young people but never demeaned them, such as movies Finding Neverland, Christopher Robin AND Kite runner, as well as those full of humanity and kindness, like his newer gem A man named Otto starring Tom Hanks and released in late 2022 White Bird sat unpublished.

The cast (Kate Dowd was the casting director) is perfect. Glaser and Schwerdt did great in their key roles, each of them completely engaging and believable, with Schwerdt standing out emotionally when his character was going through difficult times. Matthews truly makes you hate him, and in this task the actor completely succeeds. Mirren, as always, not only adds class, but also delivers a speech that serves as a moving coda to the story she has just told.

Screenwriter Mark Bomback, known for several blockbuster-style films, has created a script that is true to the essence of Palacio’s graphic novel, but makes it stand out as a gripping story without falling into maudlin or sentimentalism. Visually, Forster and his brilliant cinematographer Mattias Konigswieser create some striking sequences, especially in the barn as Sara and Julian sit in an old truck and seemingly drive through various cinematic images projected before them, the journey through New York most dazzling. Jennifer Williams’ production design also hits the mark perfectly, and veteran composer Thomas Newman not only creates another touching score, but also a memorable song (with lyrics by Palacio) sung by the young stars, as well as the end credits.

Let’s hope that despite all the delays, White Bird will have a chance to soar and find its audience. He deserves it.

Title: White Bird
Distributor: Lion’s Gate
Release date: October 4, 2024
Director: Mark Forster
Screenwriter: Marek Bomback
To throw: Helen Mirren, Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, Jo Stone-Fewings, Olivia Ross, Ishai Golan, Jem Matthews, Patsy Ferran, Stuart McQuarrie
Rate: PG-13
Duration: 2 hours 2 minutes