The Bird Catcher

Released 14th January 2020, The Bird Catcher follows a Norwegian Jewish girl as she goes on the run and hides in a Nazi occupied farm. If I were to nit-pick anything out of the film, I would argue the title holds little meaning and doesn’t represent the film in any capacity. As a war film, it successfully conveys the breeding of hatred in the occupied territories as well as the greed and superiority some felt above their peers. There are dialogue exchanges that operate with dramatic irony to establish a subtle aura of tension as well as visualised examples that shock you. The cinematography of this film is fantastic and truly works wonders in telling the story that the characters live within.

Sarah-Sofie Boussnina is truly exceptional as the protagonist; Esther. She is shown to have goals and desires in life which she intends to follow, and Sarah brings a great enthusiasm to her performance. She also conveys her growing caution and fear with fantastic physicalisation and vocal hinderance. Jacob Cedergren is also brilliant as Johann; the owner of the farm Esther hides in. He starts off exactly how you’d expect a Nazi sympathiser to be (cruel and arrogant) but Jacob tailors a performance so enthralling that you can’t help but respect his character and the bond he forms with Esther. Laura Bim and Arthur Hakalahti give life to Anna and Aksel; the wife and son of Johann who know and support Esther’s secret. Both insinuate the submissive nature needed to co-exist with Johann through their performances with Laura being far more emotionally interactive. Meanwhile, Arthur acts as Esther’s love interest / best friend; their characters have a pleasant relationship and can both relate through being looked down upon by the Nazis.

The film seems to somewhat disregard August Diehl and Johannes Kuhnke’s Herman and Fred; both characters seem like they could provide interesting angles of the Nazi livelihood but fail to be fully realised to do so. The soundtrack also isn’t overly memorable; albeit that the film opts not to use it that often. In conclusion, The Bird Catcher is a good war film in portraying the home front of Nazi Germany although it missed the little aspects that would have elevated it to the peak level of the genre.