Little Birds Movie Review

Little Birds Movie Review, Written by: Karen Benardello Director: Elgin James Starring: Juno Temple (‘The Dark Knight Rises’), Kay Panabaker (‘Fame,’ TV’s ‘CSI’), Leslie Mann (‘This Is 40′), Kate Bosworth and Neal McDonough (‘Captain America: The First Avenger’) Children raised in economically depressed areas with emotionally distant parents often search for ways to get attention, and often become rebellious in order to become noticed. The two teenage girls in the new drama ‘Little Birds,’ Lily and Alison, have bonded over losing a parent and living with their other, often neglectful parent, but have taken different approaches to dealing with their grief and pain. The film fearlessly shows the stark difference in Lily’s careless, rebellious streak and Alison’s pure, innocent intentions, but they have learned to accept the other as they are in order to help each other survive. ‘Little Birds’ follows 15-year-old Lily (played by Juno Temple) and her best friend Alison (portrayed by Kay Panabaker), as their families struggle financially on the shores of the Salton Sea in California. What was once an oasis for the wealthy and famous has become a near ghost town with rundown trailer parks and decaying streets. Lily feels claustrophobic and rebellious, anxious to leave her home and manic, single mother Margaret (played by Leslie Mann). She wants to experience something more exciting than her her visits with her washed up Aunt Bonnie (portrayed by Kate Bosworth) and young cousin. After meeting a few visiting street kids, the girls’ bond is tested when Lily convinces Alison to steal a truck from Hogan (played by Neal McDonough), whose ranch she works on. The girls search for the boys they just met, including Jesse MacNamara (portrayed by Kyle Gallner), who Lily is romantically interested in. Lily is drawn to the boys’ freedom and lifestyle, and is determined to stay and make it work, despite their scams and petty crime. As Alison becomes ready to return home, Lily becomes bait in the boys’ new plan; they’ll lure men with money they meet over the Internet to the abandoned motel they’re living in to steal from. Things quickly escalate to a life-changing moment, when Lily must decide how far she will go to grow up and Alison must figure out how far she would go to protect her friend. Elgin James, who made his feature film writing and directorial debut with ‘Little Birds,’ daringly drew on his own life experiences in the foster care system as a child, who became homeless and a gang member as a teen, to create an emotional, compelling story of teenage rebellion. While both Lily and Alison have only truly known what it was like living on the verge of poverty in Salton Sea with parents who couldn’t fully emotionally or physically provide for them, the girls surprisingly acted startlingly different when it came to bettering their situations. To continue reading this review, please visit Shockya.