The Painted Bird

Name: The Painted Bird
Genre: Drama, War
Released: July 17, 2020
Duration: 169 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Aleksey Kravchenko, Alla Sokolova, Antonín Masek, Barry Pepper, David L. Price

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date (Streaming): July 17, 2020 | NR

Starring: Aleksey Kravchenko, Alla Sokolova, Antonín Masek, Barry Pepper, David L. Price, Denisa Pfauserová, Harvey Keitel, Jitka Cvancarová, Julian Sands, Lech Dyblik, Michaela Dolezalová, Nina Sunevic, Ostap Dziadek, Pavel Kríz, Petr Kotlar, Petr Vanek, Stanislav Bilyi, Stellan Skarsgård, Tim Kalkhof, Udo Kier, Zdenek Pecha

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,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, wandering through the countryside, from village to village, farmhouse to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, The Boy suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants and he witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German. In a defining scene, one of the peasants shows The Boy the flight of a captive bird, whom the man has painted and then released back into its own flock. The bird is immediately ripped apart because it is different from its fellows. That lesson reinforces all The Boy already knows and will soon know better: difference is fatal. But there are rare moments of compassion: a German soldier spares The Boy, a priest intervenes on his behalf, and finally The Boy becomes the protégé of a Russian sniper, who is kind to the child, but ruthless with the enemy. And there are signs of love. The Boy is seduced by an older girl, finally re-discovering the comfort of intimacy, only to realize that he has been used. When he is miraculously reunited with his weakened father at the end of the war, The Boy is cold and impenetrable, hardened by his ordeal. Yet we can still glimpse something of the old, sensitive Boy behind the eyes of the new. Perhaps there is hope. [IFC Films]… Expand

Director: Václav Marhoul

Genre(s): Drama, War

Rating: NR

Runtime: 169 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Joe Morgenstern

Jul 16, 2020

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. Read full review

Barry Hertz

Jul 14, 2020

“SEE THE MOVIE THAT NO AUDIENCE CAN OUTLAST!” – after actually taking in The Painted Bird, I can confirm that the horror more or less matches the headlines. Read full review

Richard Roeper

Jul 16, 2020

The Czech writer-director Václav Marhoul has done an astonishing job of adapting Kosinski’s novel in all its brutality (and its moments of humanity), lensing the story through timeless, dream- and nightmare-like 35mm monochrome and delivering a near-masterpiece epic that will leave you exhausted after its 169-minute running time — but grateful you’ve seen one of the most memorable movies of the year. Read full review

Robert Abele

Sep 8, 2019

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. Read full review

Peter Travers

Jul 15, 2020

Extending its litany of horrors to nearly three hours, the film is certainly an endurance test. Yet its potent presentation, notably Vladimir Smutny’s striking monochromatic cinematography, gives the film the raw impact of a documentary. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Glenn Kenny

Jul 17, 2020

It’s in trying to locate the — for lack of a better term — heart of the movie where problems emerge. Read full review

Lee Marshall

Sep 8, 2019

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

Sammyboo21

Jul 21, 2020

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.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JeBjBo

May 18, 2022

Schwierig. Anstrengend. Einer der schönsten und grausamsten Filme der letzten Jahre. Ein Film, dessen Entstehungsgeschichte ebenso spannend ist wie der fertige Film. Und bitte, nimmt irgendjemand Udo Kier den Löffel weg?

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

UncleWillard

Jul 28, 2020

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, toThis 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mundt8325

Oct 24, 2020

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 plotBeautiful 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.… Expand

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jiXm

Oct 3, 2022

Main idea of film is jewish superiority. No human in the world except jewish. This is what sionism is.

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