Catherine Called Birdy: Movie Review

Cast: Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Billie Piper, Joe Alwyn, Paul Kaye

Director: Lena Dunham

It's difficult not to see Catherine Called Birdy as more than a feminist manifesto.

A teenage family-feeling film that follows a year in the life of Catherine (Bella Ramsey of Game of Thrones, The Last Of Us) as she rebels against the patriarchy of 13th century medieval England and her father Lord Rollo (Sherlock's Andrew Scott) as he tries to marry her off to gain some money to save his kingdom.

Based on the children's book by Karen Cushman, there's a youthful exuberance that follows the almost diary-like story as it plays out as the precocious Catherine negotiates coming of age and the relative ineptitude of all the men around her.

With opening scenes highlighting Catherine's independence (she's involved in a mudfight, something not seen as benefitting of a lady), Dunham's film allows Ramsey the spotlight - and as a result, she shines in it, stealing every moment and making it her own.

By having her infatuated with her uncle George (Alwyn), and mooning over him as a romantic prospect rather than the parade of boorish prospects that come through her father's door, Catherine Called Birdy takes the story to some strange places.

And yet, the subtext of a woman who deserves to have her choice and to not settle for what her father would want for her is a laudable one, if an obvious thread for Dunham to take and run with.

It doesn't really help that all the men in the film are various levels of incompetence - whether it's Rollo's wasting of the family fortunes on fripperies (a dead tiger that's shipped from abroad) or the grotesque wedding prospect that is way too old for her but becomes her only option, the men in the film exist only to highlight the inadequacies of the age.

Subtle moments such as the tragedy of stillbirth and the obvious pain of a father losing his daughter are threaded through Catherine Called Birdy with such care that it feels like the film wants to do more, but isn't quite sure how to do it.

Ultimately, Catherine Called Birdy is a solidly watchable film, even with its "men are such horribly duplicitous creatures" message throughout - it presents a heroine to admire and hope for, and gives female audience members the message they don't have to settle for second best.

Whether that's enough to feel the messaging is updated enough from medieval times is questionable, but Dunham's desire to let Ramsey own every moment proves to be a winning choice.

Catherine Called Birdy starts streaming on Amazon Prime Video from October 7.