TL;DR – In some respects this is a very simple film, but it uses that premise to perfectly explore the building tension
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
There are a lot of things films can do, they can excite, they can astound, they
can terrify, and the can crush. However, one of the key things they can do is
let you walk in another person’s shoes for a time, which can lead to some
really powerful moments.
The story of Birdie is, well it is
less of a story and more of a premise. A woman (Maeve Dermody) is on her way to
see a new apartment so she takes the train. This is the framework, but this is
where the tension is introduced because as she arrives at the Redfern station
there are a couple of guys lurking around. You can feel that tension as her
personal security lowers each moment they are around. How she tries to find
people to be near so she is not alone, you feel every moment of this trial.
This
is a film where all of the production is based around one emotion tension. So
for example, there is not a musical score, but the film lets the natural
soundscape score each moment, where every bell and crash hits you. It was also
good to hear that they got all the sounds right, locating it in its place and
time. It also helps, because they have framed the story around a train journey,
so you can heighten those moments of being trapped.
What Birdie does, is show how in the
space of minutes you can feel someone’s world fall away from them. This is
powerful filmmaking and a showcase of just what you can do with a short film.
By Brian MacNamara: You can follow
Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV,
he’ll be talking about International Relations,
or the Solar System.
Have you watched Birdie?, let us know what you thought in the comments below,
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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and
production companies of Birdie
Directed by – Shelly Lauman
Written by – Shelly Lauman
Cinematography by – Anna Howard
Edited by – Danielle Boesenberg
Production/Distribution Companies – Fox Searchlight
Starring – Maeve Dermody, Sam Parsonson, Joshua Brennan, Lynette
Curran & Eden Falk
Rating – Australia: around a PG
