in

She’s Out Dunhamed Herself: Catherine Called Birdy Review

Photo: ALEX BAILEY © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Catherine Called Birdy is an adaptation of a book by the same name written by Karen Cushman and published in 1994. Lena Dunham announced she’d be adapting the story in 2021. Here we are a year later.

The story follows 14-year-old Birdy (Bella Ramsey) in the 13th-century English countryside through puberty, friendships, and proposals. Birdy is unruly, tomboyish, defiant, and blissfully ignorant. Her mother, Lady Aislinn (Billie Piper), is sweet and loving, and her father, Lord Rollo (Andrew Scott), is silly and rough, with a soft core. They love each other dearly. Although, they’re bankrupt, and Lord Rollo must lean on Birdy to marry for money to save their estate.

There is also Birdy’s best friend, Aelis (Isis Hainsworth), whose father, Lord Gideon Sidebottom (David Bradley), is very much in the same position as Lord Rollo. Although Lord Gideon has a beautiful young wife, Lady Berenice Sidebottom (Mimi Ndiweni), who is no evil stepmother to Aelis but a woman you want to root for—and although it takes a whole film for Birdy to end up betrothed—Aelis is married off to a nine-year-old halfway through the film. Thank God she’s still a virgin when he dies.

Bella Ramsey as Birdy with Joe Alwyn as Uncle George
JOE ALWYN and BELLA RAMSEY in CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY Photo: ALEX BAILEY © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Birdy and Aelis share a crush on Birdy’s Uncle George (Joe Alwyn). However, no one can quite win his hand because he must marry (for money) the kooky Ethelfritha Rose Spinster of Devon (Sophie Okendo). If there are two characters I adore the most in this film, it is Ethelfritha Rose Spinster of Devon and Lady Berenice Sidebottom. Okendo and Ndiweni’s performances are phenomenal.

Ndiweni’s character is subtle, she lingers in the background of scenes, but she is so potent in her nuanced understanding of Lady Berenice Sidebottom’s station. Okendo’s character is eccentric yet sometimes wise; she will seduce Birdy to envision a life where she runs away. She will also be frankly honest about the transaction of her marriage and the institution she must buy into to survive. If you watch this film for anything, watch for Okendo and Ndiweni’s performances.

Bella Ramsey as Birdy in Mud
BELLA RAMSEY in CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY Photo: ALEX BAILEY © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

I admired Bella Ramsey’s performance. She plays a rambunctious teen girl very well, although, at times, it was hard to believe she could know so little. Birdy is meant to be blissfully ignorant. She doesn’t understand sex until halfway into the film; she can barely comprehend why she’s bleeding at the beginning. While sometimes Ramsey taps into the innocence and naivety of a 13/14-year-old, her composure speaks a different story at other points.

This film is stacked with well-known extraordinary British actors. The entire cast is fantastic. They deliver; they work well together; their performances fall into the same category, and not once did an actor feel out of place, which can be challenging for a cast so large in a film so specific in tone.

Lena Dunham really Lena Dunhamed historical fiction. Catherine Called Birdy doesn’t play like a historical film—Bella Ramsey’s British accent can’t always cover the modern phrasing Dunham has fed her. The film was funny enough; the performances were good. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right throughout the film.

As far as I know, the 13th century was a dingy and brutal time without the class customs that were more uptight in the era of Jane Austen. Though Birdy’s family needs the money from her marriage, she does not take responsibility for herself which is very different from other historical fiction where the women are keenly aware of their duty. From what I’ve read about the book, this adaptation takes a lot of liberties. I do and don’t understand why Lord Rollo stopped Birdy from marrying Shaggy Bird (Paul Kaye). I mean, sure, Lord Rollo loves his daughter, and Shaggy Beard is awful but also… Lord Rollo is broke? He needs that dowry and other financial support an alliance with Shaggy Beard could give him.

Bella Ramsey as Birdy with Andrew Scott as Lord Rollo
ANDREW SCOTT and BELLA RAMSEY in CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY Photo: ALEX BAILEY © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

From what I read of the book, Karen Cushman wrote a bit of a miracle ending where Shaggy Bird died. Then his son/heir asked for Birdy’s hand, which Birdy welcomed because he was well-read and mannered, which is a satisfactory ending to historical fiction of this nature due to the economic consequences of Birdy not marrying.

Why did Dunham end it the way she did? If anything, it leaves historical fiction lovers with many questions and an empty pit in our stomachs. This ending also takes away the agency given to Birdy in the book’s finale; she chooses to marry after realising her purpose. In Dunham’s adaptation, the understanding of Birdy’s place amongst the family and people is still lost on her by the film’s end and her character arc feels left unfinished.

Bella Ramsey as Birdy with Bird
BELLA RAMSEY in CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY Photo: ALEX BAILEY © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Historical fiction can often be a way for writers to explore the financial implications of marriages while subsequently exploring how women see marriage as a transaction—in the state of Birdy’s family’s finances, not marrying is dire. Not only for Birdy’s family but for Lord Rollo’s estate and the people who live in the village. If the Lord and Lady are poor, the town is destitute. Birdy’s realization at Ethelfritha Rose Spinster of Devon’s estate only addresses half the battle. Then, we are expected to believe that the people of the village and estate cherish their Lord, Lady, and dear Birdy so much they’ll cheer Lord Rollo on in a duel(???). People (aka people of privilege like nepotism baby Lena Dunham) need to remember that just because serfs lived as serfs for as long as they did, does not mean they loved their lives. They definitely didn’t because they revolted in 1381.

The novel Catherine Called Birdy was written in the ’90s when third-wave feminism was happening, so I understand that the novel’s tone may have been more tomboyish than other popular historical fiction. Also, the 13th century was not the most charming era for hygiene and nuanced humour; therefore, the jokes in this film may very well be aligned with the times. Yet, it somehow felt modern, out of place, improperly timed and immature.

If you expect nothing more from a historical comedy than Your Highness (2011) has to offer, then perhaps you’ll enjoy this film. If your young children enjoyed Enola Holmes, they might also enjoy Catherine Called Birdy. However, if you are a historical fiction fan because of its nuanced metaphors for modern feminism, this is sadly not the film for you.

You can stream Catherine Called Birdy on Amazon Prime on October 7th.

Written by Isobel Grieve

Leave a Reply

Film Obsessive welcomes your comments. All submissions are moderated. Replies including personal attacks, spam, and other offensive remarks will not be published. Email addresses will not be visible on published comments.

Blu-ray Boutique: Episode 34 – The Golden Age of Television Part 2

A young, athletic man in sunglasses stands in a baseball stadium at sunset

The Last Out Charts a Messy Migration to the Major Leagues