White Bird Parent Guide
Tightly focused on two teenagers caught up in the horrors of war, this film aptly delivers its message of courage and compassion.
Parent Movie Review
Expelled from school for bullying a child with a facial deformity, Julian Albans (Bryce Gheisar) is now attending a private high school and trying his best to blend in. “Don’t be mean. Don’t be nice. Just be normal” is his philosophy.
When he shares this perspective with his visiting grandmother (Helen Mirren), she decides to shake up his world view. To do so, she shares her past; her terrifying teenage years in Nazi occupied France.
At first the war doesn’t feel too unbearable to young Sarah Bloom (Ariella Glaser). Pretty, clever, artistically talented, and obsessed with clothes, Sarah has a crush on a handsome classmate and politely ignores Julien Beaumier (Orlando Schwerdt), who is bullied for the crutch he relies on after a bad case of polio. But as the Nazi occupation becomes increasingly harsh, the Bloom family and other Jews start feeling like outcasts in their own community. When the German soldiers come to the high school to seize the Jewish students, it’s Julien who risks everything to help Sarah escape and then to keep her safe.
Director Marc Forster should be commended for creating a World War II movie that is perfectly suited to teen audiences. This film brings to life the horror and trauma of the war without putting lots of violence and blood on screen. Obviously, any WWII movie will have disturbing moments, but none of these are gory or gratuitous. The script touches on the events of the wider war – concentration camps, battles – but the story is focused on two young lives and how they are changed by their experiences.
White Bird brings a teen’s-eye-view to the war, keeping it relatable to young viewers – without making it feel juvenile to adults. Watching a terrified fifteen-year-old sob in fear and grief as she tries to sleep alone in a barn brought tears to my eyes as my parenting reflexes kicked in. The movie’s made for teens, but as my experience shows, it will appeal to viewers of all ages.
Critical to the success of the film is the cast, particularly Ariella Glaser and Orlando Schwerdt. Both bring a radiance to their characters which is never extinguished despite the anguish they experience. They live according to the words of Sarah’s father: “As long as we shine our lights, we win.” For Sarah, the radiance is mixed with regret for past folly; for Julien, it’s mixed with hope. These characters provide teenagers with powerful examples of courage, compassion, kindness, honesty, and willingness to change – all of which we want our teens to see on the big screen. The movie also delivers powerful warnings against bigotry, specifically anti-Semitism, which is tragically a timely message.
I can’t tell you that White Bird is a flawless production. There are some strained coincidences and a few unbelievable scenes involving animals, but these are small complaints in the face of such a touching film. If you are looking for a teen-friendly movie that puts a human face on World War II and the Holocaust, White Bird is a good choice. If you’re looking for something that teaches empathy, once again, White Bird is a good fit. And if you want an uplifting, inspiring film, White Bird is three for three. I don’t say this often: Go see this show.
Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren, Olivia Ross. Running time: 122 minutes. Theatrical release October 4, 2024. Updated October 4, 2024Watch the trailer for White Bird
White Bird
Rating & Content Info
Why is White Bird rated PG-13? White Bird is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some strong violence, thematic material and language
Violence: There is some verbal bullying at school along with some pushing and shoving. German soldiers put teenagers in a truck; they will likely be sent to camps. In an anti-Semitic puppet show, the “Jewish” puppet is accused of stealing money and is hit over the head with sticks. Soldiers shoot a young man off screen but the shot is heard and his body is later seen in a pool of blood. There is repeated mention of Jews being sent to concentration camps. Three teens gang up on a disabled classmate and push, punch and kick him. He’s later seen being cared for by his mother but there are no detailed images of wounds. A teenager points a gun at a girl’s head. Wolves attack and kill a man off screen; his body is briefly seen with bloody neck wounds but without gory detail. German soldiers round up hospital patients and civilians and shoot them, leaving their bodies on the ground.
Sexual Content: A teenage boy and girl kiss.
Profanity: The script contains a single scatological curse and a bit of name-calling.
Alcohol / Drug Use: A French grandmother drinks wine with dinner and pours some into the glass of her 15-year-old grandson who tells her he’s underage. Suspected Nazi informants are unwittingly sedated with drugs in their milk.
Page last updated October 4, 2024
White Bird Parents' Guide
Why doesn’t Sarah appreciate Julien before the war? What does it take before she sees him for who he really is? How does her altered perceptions of Julien change the way she sees herself? Does this change the way she acts and relates to others?
How does his grandmother’s story change Julian’s behavior at his new high school? Have you ever had to face hard truths about yourself and change the way you behave? What made you change? Have you ever learned important lessons from a grandparent or other relative? What influence do family stories have on you?
Loved this movie? Try these books…
This movie is based on the graphic novel, White Bird, by R.J. Palacio and Erica S. Perl.
Perhaps the most famous book about Jews hiding from the Nazis is Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Corrie Ten Boom also shares her experiences in hiding and in a concentration camp in The Hiding Place. Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars is fiction, but it’s based on the true story of how the Danish Resistance smuggled almost all of the country’s Jews across the sea to the safety of Sweden. Sandra Giddens shares the experiences of four teenagers in her book Escape: Teens Who Escaped the Holocaust to Freedom. With the assistance of Susan McClelland, Robbie Waisman shares his experience surviving the Holocaust in his memoir, Boy From Buchenwald.
Home Video
Related home video titles:
This movie is a companion film to Wonder, the story of Auggy, who is bullied by Julian for his facial deformity.
If you’re looking for teen-suitable Holocaust movies, we suggest The Song of Names, The Book Thief, or Swing Kids. You can also watch My Best Friend, Anne Frank, and a documentary inspired by her, #Anne Frank: Parallel Stories. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit brings the terrors of Hitler’s rise down to a child’s level, but it has subtitles so children who watch it will need to be good readers.
A young woman hides Jews from the Nazis in Irena’s Vow. A young German boy is gung-ho for the Nazi message until he discovers that his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in Jojo’s Rabbit.
Adults who want more cinematic portrayals of Hitler’s Final Solution can turn to The Zone of Interest, Schindler’s List, Final Account, , Denial, Remember This, and The Auschwitz Report.