Bird (15)

Andrea Arnold’s (Fishtank) long-awaited return to fiction filmmaking Bird, has a thrilling, distinctive feral energy embracing chaos, magical realism and hard social truths.

Fuelled by tracks from Sleaford Mods, Fontaines DC and Coldplay, we follow 12-year-old Bailey – played by phenomenal newcomer Nykiya Adams – growing up in a freewheeling North Kent squat with a wayward half-brother and her devoted but feckless, magnificently tattooed, drug-dealing dad, Bug (Barry Keoghan).

Approaching puberty and seeking attention and adventure, Bailey’s life is transformed when she encounters Bird, a mysterious stranger on a journey of his own. “Beautiful, unique and full of suprises” Total Film.

UK / France 2024 119 mins Dir: Angela Arnold