Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski and Andrea Arnold on ‘Bird’
- Text by Maisy Hunter
- Photography by Courtesy of Mubi
- Illustrations by Marie Mohanna
Bird is the word in October’s new issue of Little White Lies. Huck’s sister magazine brings Andrea Arnold’s sixth feature, Bird, to life with a thematic voyage down the Thames estuary. Starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, the film finds magic in the most uncanny of places, nestled in-between cracks of pavements and slips of sunlight. An interview with Arnold, who was awarded the Golden Coach Award at this year’s Cannes Festival, explores the immersive world-building of the film and the process of creating characters that subvert traditional working class stereotypes. Interviews with stars Keoghan and Rogowski delve into the experience of creating the magical realism of the film and how it relates to their practice and art. Below we’ve collected some of the highlights from those conversations.
“Andrea didn’t share a script with me. She only shared songs and pictures of a lonely, naked man floating about trees and meadows, swimming and climbing trees” Franz Rogowski
“I guess if someone tells you to come to a party without telling you anything about it, it’s probably more interesting to just go there and see what happens.” Franz Rogowski
“We stepped into this, and you’d have to look around to find the camera. You’d have to remind yourself that you were on set. That to me is a privilege. I just loved being in her world” Barry Keoghan
“Film acting for me isn’t a show and tell. I want people asking questions. I don’t wanna give it away. Someone actually said to me, or maybe I read it, but it was like, treat the camera like it’s someone you’re dating, then play really hard to get. And it involves lots of looking away and not making eye contact. Flirting. Even the mumbling side of it, refusing to project, is all part of that” Barry Keoghan
“I do really believe in cinema, and that how you put images together can manage to convey someone’s interior self” Andrea Arnold
“It’s hard not to give things away that feel like secrets. They’re like little sort of things you put in there that you want people to discover and have their own relationship with. I’ve got lots of feelings about Bird, but they’re mine. I know that people interpret the film in lots of ways and I like to leave it like that” Andrea Arnold
Amidst the long-haul flight into the world of Bird, there lies more movie magic. A deep dive into the mind’s eye of Steve McQueen as he discusses the importance of truth in upcoming period piece Blitz sits alongside an in-depth conversation with actor Mikey Madison and filmmaker Sean Baker on the complex lives of sex workers in screwball comedy Anora. All of this on top of the usual previews, reviews and more, there’s so much to unpack in the latest edition of Little White Lies.
Buy your copy of LWLies 105: The Bird issue is here.
Buy your copy of LWLies 105: The Bird issue is here.
You might like
Huck's top ten movies by female directors
Cameras and kick-ass chicks — We picked our favourite films from Little White Lies' blockbuster list of 100 incredible films by female directors.
Written by: Alex Robert Ross
Confronting America’s history of violence against student protest
Through A Mirror, Darkly — In May 1970, two separate massacres at American college campuses saw deaths at the hands of the state. Naeem Mohaiemen’s new three-channel film memorialises the brutality.
Written by: Miss Rosen
New documentary spotlights Brixton’s community in the face of gentrification
Beyond Brix & Mortar — With property prices rising by 1,700% since the ’80s, the film explores the rich cultural history of the area’s Afro-Caribbean community, and the threat to the area’s soul.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
On the set of ‘La Bamba’, lost Latino legend Ritchie Valens’s biopic
The overnight rockstar — The Chicano rock & roll star exploded overnight in the late ’50s, but just as quickly he was gone, killed in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly. An ’80s biopic saw him immortalised on the big screen, which photographer Merrick Morton captured behind the scenes.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The Women of the Sea Film Fund is granting £10k to tell femme-focused surfing stories
Finisterre x London Surf / Film Festival — Open exclusively to women to tell stories about other women, applications are open until March 8.
Written by: Isaac Muk
New documentary explores football ultras culture around the world
ULTRAS — Directed by Swedish filmmaker Ragnhild Ekner, the film takes an insider’s view of the terrace subculture, and the unifying power of fandom.
Written by: Isaac Muk
