By: Mariah Thomas
The narrative film Bird In Hand instantly draws you in the moment you start watching. A humorous intriguing opening scene leaves you with many questions you hope the remainder of the film will answer. A young woman who seems put together slowly unravels until you see her truths. Filled with humor and visually stunning shots, Bird In Hand is sure to be a favorite from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival as it is the reminder that life doesn’t need to look perfect at all times.
Bird In Hand follows the life of Bird Rowe (Alisha Wainwright). Bird visits her mother, Carlotta (Christine Lahti), to share the news of her engagement. Wanting to find the perfect venue, the pair search for the perfect spot. Bird is currently in New York and her fiancé desires a countryside wedding…or so she says. The more we follow Bird, the more truths of what she is actually searching for come to light. She actually wants to meet her father and her life is falling apart. Bird hits it off with her mom’s new neighbor, Dennis (James Le Gros), and this unwinds into more chaos as the film continues on. We watch as Bird gets lost in a twisted web of her own lies and has to find a way to untwist.
My favorite part of this film was the mother-daughter relationship we see unfold. Bird and Carlotta are mirrors of each other. Though they seem opposite in personality, there is such an interconnection that makes them more alike than they realize. Their relationship is far from perfect, but it feels very real. There is a moment where Carlotta tells Bird crying is an attempt to make someone else validate your feelings. She dismisses her daughter with her more extreme viewpoint on emotion. However, the next day Carlotta cries over something and Bird is placed in the exact situation she described. Tiny pebbles of toxicity live in this beautiful relationship. However, in the end, they still have each other. No one can hurt you like a mother, but also no one can love you like one.
This is director Melody C. Roscher’s feature directorial debut. She also wrote the film. Though it follows a simple story, there is always so much happening on screen visually. The narrative shifts seamlessly with these beautiful shots like lush, open, green backyards. There is a messy, chaotic home that tells us so much about our characters. Every second of this film felt intentional. Roscher has definitely become a director whose future work I look forward to seeing.
Bird In Hand is a simple film that closely follows the life of a young woman as she processes big life changes. She self-destructs as she doesn’t know where to place her pain or have a safe space to express it. This film is a devastatingly good coming of age story. Bird takes her pain out on herself as she continues to make decisions that truly only hurt her in the long run. Her choices are all too relatable. I highly recommend this film to anyone in need of a reminder that it’s okay not to have your life together at all times.