White Bird
Lionsgate | Release Date: October 4, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
4
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoOct 9, 2024
With elegant acting from its two young leads and picturesque cinematography from Matthias Koenigswieser, it serves as a competently executed morality play for audiences craving a bit of unambiguous humanism. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 3, 2024
If you’ve seen “Wonder,” it will add some depth and context to the viewing experience, but with the surehanded direction from Forster, the excellent script by Bomback and the strong performances from the veteran actors as well as the younger faces, “White Bird” flies quite well on its own. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshOct 10, 2024
The strength of White Bird lies in its young performers, especially Glaser and Schwerdt, who deliver complex, nuanced performances of young people experiencing their part of global atrocities on an intimate scale, while also trying to navigate the complications of connecting as young teenagers. They are both excellent, and keep the film emotionally grounded. Read full review
70
ColliderIsabella SoaresOct 10, 2024
Through sensitive portrayals by Glaser and Schwerdt, and a moving sequence featuring Anderson, the new Palacio adaptation once again proves that kindness is the remedy to evil, and it is never too late to choose the high road. Read full review
70
Screen RantNick BythrowOct 4, 2024
Despite its flaws, the film has plenty of memorable, engaging moments thanks to strong characters and a story that feels true to history while offering some hope along the way. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonOct 3, 2024
Mirren holds the film together with her narration, but she can’t save the film from Forster’s penchant for overdoing emotional scenes or from Thomas Newman’s intrusive score. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrOct 2, 2024
It’s a little by-the-book — exactly, perhaps, what you might expect from elevated historical fiction aimed at young adults. Being a good-hearted, straightforward film that might even have you shedding a few tears is no crime against cinema. Read full review
55
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeOct 4, 2024
The film’s intentions are unquestionably noble, but the execution falls wildly short, even with so many talented artists involved. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeOct 8, 2024
Forster’s steady direction keeps this thread of White Bird affecting even when it conforms to predictable narrative beats. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Radheyan SimonpillaiOct 8, 2024
As Sara and Julien bide their time in the barn, escaping into their imagination, Forster keeps himself interested by turning the movie into an ode to cinema. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzOct 4, 2024
The Holocaust drama “White Bird” is a sensitive, well-meaning but ultimately rather programmatic film, presenting the tragedy mainly as a school lesson for present-day kids. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 7, 2024
Covering the same ground in an utterly conventional, voice-over-narrated-to-death melodrama gives us a film with no thrills, little suspense and, thanks to generally bland performances, almost no emotional resonance. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithOct 3, 2024
Mr. Forster’s affinity for flat dialogue, cartoonish characters, hokey contrivance and dull inspirational messages continue to be his hallmark, and the Hallmark Channel seems like an ideal place for his future work. Read full review
30
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 3, 2024
One could argue that Forster and company calibrate their anodyne effects to make a Holocaust narrative that’s palatable for younger viewers. But what mostly resonates is a particularly lachrymose brand of show-business hedging. Read full review
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