X
- 2020
- Unrated
- IFC Films
- 2 h 49 m
- 2020
- Unrated
- IFC Films
- 2 h 49 m
Summary Based on the acclaimed Jerzy Kosiriski novel, The Painted Bird is a meticulous 35mm black and white evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War I. The film follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and the Boy is on his own, wa...
Directed By: Václav Marhoul
- 2020
- Unrated
- IFC Films
- 2 h 49 m
- 2020
- Unrated
- IFC Films
- 2 h 49 m
The Painted Bird
72
5.7
Where to Watch
Summary Based on the acclaimed Jerzy Kosiriski novel, The Painted Bird is a meticulous 35mm black and white evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War I. The film follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and the Boy is on his own, wa...
Directed By: Václav Marhoul
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
72
76% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
16% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
8% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
72
76% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
16% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
8% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
There’s never been anything quite like it — an exquisitely crafted work of cinematic art putting radiant black-and-white photography (by Vladimír Smutný) in the service of indescribably shocking images that reflect the darkest of human impulses, as well as the unquenchable will to survive.
Oh, the movie is brilliant without a doubt, but it’s dotted with such shocking moments, and there isn’t a whiff of pretentiousness to be found. Only guts and incredible visuals.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 User Ratings
5.7
53% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
20% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
27% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 User Ratings
5.7
53% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
20% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
27% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Easily one of the most unsettling and disturbing films I have ever seen. Bleak as well as beautiful and gorgeously shot in black and white. It’s as if you are watching an old criterion film. It’s one of the best films of 2020 and one of the most unforgettable movie experiences I’ve had.
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While not exploitative and (mostly) not gratuitous, this is as tough as it gets — you bleed for this kid. Even if it gets a bit too much, you just can’t look away. Thrilling filmmaking.
The Painted Bird ... is not the wallowing miserablist parade you might fear, yet not quite the Holocaust-themed masterpiece it wishes to be. But it’s always starkly compelling as a reminder of why war survival stories are essential to our understanding of innocence and beastliness.
The film’s sheer unblinking stamina is as impressive as its pristine formal composure, though it has to be said that at nearly three hours — somewhat surprising, considering the novel’s brevity — its blunt-instrument force doesn’t yield much fresh perspective on oft-dramatized atrocities.
The Painted Bird spirals between fairy tale and history lesson as if it were trying to fly with a clipped wing. Several passages create a stomach-churning sense of inertia, but only during the very last shot does the whole thing manage to get high enough off the ground to offer a valuable perspective.
There is beauty in the 35mm black and white landscapes and framings of this painterly widescreen feature, but it stands in stark contrast with the alienating narrative and tone of a film which, like Kosinski’s book, takes a strange relish in charting the descent of simple country folk of a never-named country into sexual depravity and joyless cruelty.
This is a brutal yet beautiful movie that relentlessly comes at you from the get go. This poor kid goes through it all and from all angles.
Eastern Europe in WWWII, a poor kid winds up alone and fending for himself with tiny bouts of kindness, ironically from the soldiers in this world, to propel him to its anti-climactic conclusion. I read up a bit, and it would appear this tale, while originally pitched by its author as a true story, was almost entirely fictional, though his parents confirm that he was stuck, alone in Poland for a brief time. Largely regarded as a compelling hoax now, the film still rings as authentic despite, with some wonderful cameos, though it remains a pale imitation of the far superior "Come and See."
If you're in the mood for a wonderfully shot and acted downer of a movie, their are a litany of holocaust stories to choose from. This one has a quiet dread and belongs in that list, but definitely towards the middle.
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Beautiful cinematography and great acting. Everything else is dull. Zero thought went into the story. The movie is basically 3 hours of vignettes depicting the worst memories of a child’s life. That makes the entire story a lie, life simply isn’t this bleak, even in WW2. So we get a plot that goes from horrifying to just plain silly by the 2 hr mark. Even worse- there is zero character development. None. They could have had a different boy in each scene and we’d have the same (or better) movie. Really dumb film. I’d be more forgiving if it didn’t use ww2 as a backdrop to make it seem more profound. It’s like using September 11th to show us how bad child abuse is for 3 hrs. We already know it’s bad. Give us an actual story and character progression.
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Production Company
Silver Screen,
Ceská Televize,
PubRes,
RTVS,
Directory Films,
Ukrainian State Film Agency,
Státní fond kinematografie,
Audiovizuálny fond
Release Date Jul 17, 2020
Duration 2 h 49 m
Rating Unrated
Tagline Light is visible only in the dark.
Awards
Czech Lions
• 10 Wins & 13 Nominations
Camerimage
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Warsaw Jewish Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
