“Bird Box,” directed by Susanne Bier, which we learned was coming a few weeks ago with the release of its trailer, has found its place in the Netflix catalog. To cut a long story short, it’s a film that I highly recommend for those seeking a good thriller and for those who don’t mind finishing off a bag of popcorn. The film, adapted from Josh Malerman’s book, could not have been portrayed any more beautifully. Some books truly deserve to be turned into films, and “Bird Box” is proof of this.
In brief, the story is as follows: A global epidemic of suicides has begun. People in Russia and Korea are inexplicably committing suicide. Soon, this madness spreads to America, and people start committing suicide as soon as they see something invisible. Except for those fortunate enough to lock themselves in their homes, everyone on the streets begins to die in one way or another. Malorie, portrayed by Sandra Bullock, is one of those who manage to lock themselves in.
As people go crazy and commit suicide, first, the phones, then the television, and finally, the internet all go out. This forces a group of strangers to live in a house with all the windows and holes sealed. We begin to follow the story of this group of people who live with no knowledge of what are outside and unseen entities that cannot enter but are determined to kill anyone who goes outside or looks at them. “Bird Box” is a post-apocalyptic-themed film that, at times, portrays the immediate aftermath of the chaos and, at other times, reveals the chaotic process. In the immediate aftermath, we see how they will adapt to this world and focus on the outsiders who have stayed behind. In the post part, we witness Malorie’s quest for a place of dubious safety.
“Bird Box,” a film that can be seen as a mix of “The Happening” and “A Quiet Place” released this year, is, in my opinion, as successful as both films. It delivers a story that is quite reasonable and well-grounded, thanks to its dialogues and actions, even if it doesn’t provide us with the meaning of life in the end. If you say you can’t drive a car blindly with GPS, I haven’t tried it, but in some countries, they can’t even drive their eyes open, so I would dodge the question with that.
I was quite taken with the cast of actors in the film, with two influential names like Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich. On the other side, there’s the increasingly acclaimed Trevante Rhodes, the rising star Rosa Salazar, Tom Hollander, who deserved a “madness Oscar” for his crazy role; the rapper MGK, who had issues with Eminem in 2018; Danielle Macdonald, also known as Patty Cakes from a rap documentary, and BD Wong, who makes a brief appearance in the film. All of them, with a significant influence from the screenplay, delivered excellent performances. Greetings to Tom Hollander; he even managed to fool me.
In essence, “Bird Box” is a blend of “The Happening” and “A Quiet Place.” In a world where there are entities outside that, when looked at, drive you to self-destruction, the film tells the story of those who have adapted to living with their eyes closed and those who will adapt, adding plenty of tension to the film thanks to the “crazies” option. Without the crazies, the film could have been quite ordinary and straightforward. I’d also like to mention that Susanne Bier has directed an immaculate film. The film’s tension is well-placed, and the only drawback, in the eyes of the audience, is that it doesn’t provide an explanation at the end. But it doesn’t need to. The film, which could be considered a bit lengthy, provides a great action/thriller for two hours.
Cast & Crew
director: Susanne Bier
writers: Eric Heisserer
starring: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Lil Rel Howery, Tom Hollander, Machine Gun Kelly, BD Wong
USA | 2018 | 124 MINUTES |