I’ve always wanted to see Wonder, the 2017 movie about a boy with facial deformities, but I never have. Seven years after its release, a standalone sequel arrives, with a backstory for Wonder’s bully that goes back to World War II.
White Bird, based on the graphic novel by Wonder’s author R.J. Palacio, picks up the story of Julien, the boy who treated his classmate so badly he was expelled for it. Julien (Bryce Gheisar) is now in high school, struggling to find a place of belonging. After a hard day of not fitting in, he is surprised to encounter his glamorous grandmere, Sara (Helen Mirren) in his family’s usually lonely, luxury apartment.
After holding her grandson to account for being expelled for cruelty, Sara is compelled to tell him her own story of having once excluded someone, which turned out very differently from his own. She goes back in time to 1942, in Nazi-occupied France, when as a carefree teen (Ariella Glaser), she enjoys life as the much-beloved daughter of two accomplished, professional parents. Their Jewishness is not much of an issue yet, but soon the Nazis are marching into town, and all their lives are in danger.
Just before the unthinkable occurs, Sara is at school with a crush on an unworthy boy and a penchant to join the other privileged girls in excluding a classmate with polio, also named Julien (Orlando Schwerdt). He’s an outsider, not worth their time or even learning his name. From the start, though, this Julien is kind and brave, eventually risking his life to help Sara escape from the Nazis.
As she hides in Julien’s parents’ barn, Sara begins to transform from a self-centered and slightly arrogant girl to a more mature, sensitive version of herself, wise beyond her years because of lessons absorbed from her suffering. She and Julien become the best of friends as he brings home classwork and entertains her as best he can within the confines of her rustic hiding spot. His parents, especially his mother (Gillian Anderson), are aware of Sara’s presence from the start and bravely try to keep her alive and cared for, despite tremendous risks to themselves.
Julien and Sara’s bond is deep and will move the hearts of viewers. The bullied one becomes the protector, even with his physical limitations, and the formerly spoiled girl begins to look at him with new eyes that can finally see the courageous person he is and always has been.
Though Mirren and Anderson are acting heavyweights who deliver potent performances, the magnificent Glaser and Schwerdt wholly carry this movie. They will break the viewer’s hearts and then heal them. The two young actors convey how innocence shattered by horrific circumstances can somehow be preserved, and how strong character can be formed in the darkest days. Their romance is tender and affecting, and appropriate for all audiences, although parents should be cautioned about violence and some language.
The story is mostly about Julien and Sara of 1942, but when Grandmere’s narrative ends, her grandson must reckon with his life and choices. White Bird shows that acts of kindness and courage make their own kind of history and that, sometimes, even bullies can be redeemed. (Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, thematic material, and language. Now showing at local theaters.)