Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Hello once again, and welcome back to another episode of movie Deputy Reviews, where you may have noticed I have a little bit more of a voice today than I had. My apologies about my voice on Sweetwater, but I do hope that that's one that you take a chance to go and check out because you definitely won't be disappointed. It's inspiring. It's, it's just a great movie all the way around. And I love when I run into movies like that that I just don't expect. So, yay. Today we're talking about another very memorable movie, or we're going to be talking about this one. I was actually really looking forward to it coming out in the late fall of 2023, and I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it did not come out then. So if you go way back and listen to my upcoming movies podcast and remember me talking about a movie called White Bird, you might remember that. And if not, that's perfectly fine. You're not going to be missing out on anything. But with Whitebird, it is a story of kindness. Now, not in the generalized sense that you may think. With Whitebird, it is a story of a grandmother talking to her grandson and explaining that his behavior is unacceptable for multiple different reasons, but not in such a blunt way of putting it.
[00:01:23] This one, I don't know, it deals with some very difficult topics in the way that it's being brought upon. This is a family that lives in France.
[00:01:36] And so this, her grandson goes to a private school, and he had just started a new school because he was basically expelled from his previous school for being awful to another child.
[00:01:51] Now, I won't go into the details on that, but I've had a lot of experience with bullying and things like that myself and hateful behavior.
[00:01:59] And so I could relate with that, and I'm sure a lot of people can. Now, before I get into this very far, I want to reiterate, I never read the books. Ever, never ever read the books. And so I'm already anticipating a lot of messages from people going, how could you review this movie from this perspective? And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah if you didn't read the book and you don't know how accurate it is to the book?
[00:02:25] That's great if you want to read the books, but I don't.
[00:02:31] I don't enjoy reading at all. I'm just, I have an issue with some dyslexia and some other issues, but I've never been a big reader. And so I've always been drawn more to movies and so that's why I kind of do what I do. I love movies. So if you want to send me a message telling me about all the different differences and everything and what you think is wrong with the movie, feel free, go ahead. I'm not gonna stop you. But I just want to reiterate that I never read the books, so I just like to be upfront and honest with people about that.
[00:03:05] So this one, the grandmother, starts sharing things in her life where she also dealt with somebody and dealt with a situation in history that had to do with kindness and lack thereof.
[00:03:18] Back in World War two era, she lived in an area of France where the Nazis weren't necessarily occupying. And so she still was able to live a fairly normal life as a member of a jewish family. But when they started encroaching on her area of France, things got very different and she got separated from her parents, and it became a story that resonates very similar with the story of Anne Frank, if you're familiar with that at all. And that's a lot, what the movie feels like. I'm sure it was inspired by that story. I actually thought this was going to be a true story, but there was no references in this. There were some very specific thank yous in the credits and acknowledgments for that, which. So I'm sure maybe that family inspired this as well. There were a lot of very similar stories to the Anne Frank story during the. The Holocaust and during everything that was going on. And there are those out there that will deny history, but it's just. It's very sad. And this was a very dark time in our history that, unfortunately, is not taught as much as it should be. So if nothing else, a story such as white bird could be a stepping stone into teaching loved ones about history and teaching them about, like, what really happened. Like I said this, I did believe that this was based on a true story. Till I watched this, it was not. It never alluded to the fact that it was based on a true story. So it could have been, but it didn't, like, acknowledge it anywhere in the film itself.
[00:04:56] But. So her thing of surviving the way that she did and the way everything that she experienced and that her family experienced, it all comes back to kindness. Now, that may seem like it's. Like it's overly simplified on so many levels, but don't worry, I won't give any spoilers on it. But the thing is, is it's not just kindness isn't as simple as people want to believe it to be kindness is actions. It's words, it's behavior. It's. It's everything all wrapped into one. And that is one of the big things that this shows, even in this horrible time in history. And at times, this is difficult to watch. At times, you want to turn away and shield your eyes, but at the same time, you're realizing that things like this actually happened. I mean, this. This is a story that was told. This is a story that even though it may not be a direct, true story, this very likely happened to people. I mean, very similar to the way this happened. And it's just, it will rip your heart out, and it will make you smile and it will make you laugh and it will make you cry and everything in between. This movie will take you through the gamut of emotions on that. Now, is it all centered in the 1940s in the nazi occupied part of France?
[00:06:26] That is where the majority of this story is centered, but that is not the heart of the story. The heart of the story goes so much beyond that, comes back to the modern day. And I really hope that if this is one that you decide to embark on, that you definitely don't give up on the story. Make sure you sit through it and stay into everything that it shares with you and everything that it resonates with you. Because whether you know somebody that this happened to or not, or you are aware of these stories or not, this is bound to have an impact now, being that this is so beautifully done and so beautifully told. But it's also, I mean, there's. There's a few very minor issues that most people probably wouldn't even pick up on. And I'm not going to go into the whole lot of details on that because I don't want to take away from the story. But I am giving white bird a surprising seven out of ten on the deputy scale just because it's.
[00:07:29] It's such a powerful story. It's one that we've heard before. It's one that we've seen before, but it's not the same story. So don't go into this thinking, oh, it's just going to be another one of those movies that we've seen this, we've heard this, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. No, no, no, no. There is so much more that is going on here and so much more that you will take away.
[00:07:50] Each one of these stories, though similar, stands on its own. It stands alone because it's going to reach somebody that maybe another story didn't. And that is really the point to stories like this is, it's the telling of something that happened in history. It may not be a direct, true story, but it's, it resonates something that actually happened in history. And it's heartbreaking, and it will leave you in pieces, but it will also fill you up in such a beautiful way. Now, all that being said, I am giving white bird a guilty rating. Some of the content is a little bit intense for younger audiences, but I do hope that this is one that if you are a fan of history or you just like intense dramas, that this is one that you will embark on, because there is something magical here, and I think everybody should experience it. So I will be back soon with another movie, as always, you know, the buttons to push, so you always get the latest and greatest movie. Deputy content. And I will be back soon. Bye.
