Name:
Course:
Instructor:
Date:
Birdbox Review
In a movie list of Knock Down the House, Season 1 Jessica Jones, Into the Spider-Verse, and Birdbox, the latter is certainly a must-watch for me. The Netflix original that premiered on 21 December 2018 was a hit. Susanne Bier, an award-winning director, starred the amazing Sandra Bullock as Malorie, together with John Malkovich and a couple of other notable and talented actors. The movie, based on a book by an American author Josh Malerman is a thriller worth every second of the 2-hour 4-minute watch.
Malorie is set up in a post-apocalyptic world that has been invaded by creatures that are kept mysterious from the viewer’s eyes throughout the whole movie. The mystery of the creatures made the movie intriguing, and one would have struggled to catch a glimpse of it by some fast-pace shots but to no avail. The story surrounds Malorie, starting with some news that there were people who were acting severely aggressive and brutal and eventually end up killing themselves. The news spreads, and it is determined that these people are behaving, so because of some infection, one gets upon seeing these mysterious creatures. Malorie escapes home while four months pregnant after her sister becomes a victim and finds herself seeking refuge together with several other survivors in Tom’s place. Here, she meets Olympia, who is also pregnant. They only go out blindfolded to get food and other essential supplies. In a series of events spread out in five years, she ends up alone with two kids, one hers and Olympia’s. She names them Boy and Girl, leading up the two kids to a hidden sanctuary believed to be the only place safe from the creatures. They make their way through the vagaries of the harsh woodlands and rapid rivers with their eyes blindfolded.
The cinematography was a 50/50. The fast-pace shots when the creatures were just approaching were nerve-racking and would easily edge you off your seat. One particular aerial shot of Malorie, together with the kids on a boat down the river, was beautifully done. The scenes while they were alone in the woods captured the eeriness that the story entails. However, Birdbox takes us back and forth between different periods in its flashbacks, and the cinematography fell short on this one, leaving some scenes hanging with a lot of gaps and questions in the different timelines. The movie takes the viewer through a rollercoaster of emotions juggling between love, hope, and faith. The script captured the topics quite right. Your heart would melt where love was felt, your heartbeat would rise when tension arose, and the disappointment that hits when Tom sacrifices his life to save Malorie and the children is just awful.
A major semiotic element featured in the film is the use of blindfolds. The blindfolds are taken up as a symbol of blind faith. Malorie captures this when she abides by instructions from an unknown call. Even after previous doubts, she decides to take the odyssey with a lot of unknowns and does this while blindfolded. She eventually reaches the sanctuary and finds out it’s a school for the blind who are immune because they can’t see the creatures. Comparing all factors, I would give more credit to the scriptwriter than the director. Many movie sites classify it as a horror film; I say it’s more of a thriller. Mainly because there are no horrific scenes, it’s just nerve-racking due to the good work done on tension build-up, plus we never actually get to see the creatures. Otherwise, it’s a must-watch.
Work Cited:
Susanne, Bier. Bird Box film. Premiered on 14 December 2018.