Young actress Bella Ramsey was one of the few highlights of the later seasons of Game of Thrones<\/em>, and she brings a similar, yet distinct, energy to the title character here that she did to playing fierce Lyanna Mormont on the HBO series. We first meet a filthy Catherine, emanating pure joy as she flings clumps in an epic mud fight. Within just a few scenes, we immediately want the best for this feisty, smart girl, which is unfortunate because Catherine Called Birdy<\/em> takes place in 1290 in England, where there were few options for young women. Catherine is neither a princess nor a peasant, but her fate is set: she must marry for money. Her family has a good name courtesy of her mother, Lady Aislinn (Billie Piper), but they have little wealth, and her father, Lord Rollo (Andrew Scott), sees Catherine\u2019s bride price as their only salvation. Yet Catherine wants more from life than to be married, so our mischievous heroine scares off suitor after suitor with her quick wit and an occasional punch to the nose, recounting it all in her diary \u2014 and via voiceover narration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those wary of Dunham\u2019s brand of self-obsessed, confrontational comedy and, uhh, tweets<\/a> needn\u2019t worry about Catherine Called Birdy<\/em>. Doing career-best work, the writer-director makes some smart edits to the source material for her adaptation, which work well for a movie released decades after the novel\u2019s publication. Book readers will witness a profound change from the book\u2019s ending \u2014 that still feels true to the character and the story\u2019s themes \u2014 but she also evolves Catherine\u2019s father from a physically abusive brute into a secretly loving jokester, making him far more sympathetic to 2022 audiences. (The fact that he\u2019s played by Fleabag<\/em>\u2019s Scott also doesn’t hurt.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n The other marked departure from Cushman\u2019s book is the inclusion of talk of sex and periods, which isn\u2019t much of a surprise given Dunham\u2019s involvement. But this is the PG-13 version of the writer\/director, and the moment Catherine gets her first period is funny and kid-appropriate, dodging the very adult frankness present in Girls<\/em> and Sharp Stick<\/em>. If you didn\u2019t know Dunham was behind the camera, you likely wouldn\u2019t suspect that the provocateur made the gently sweet Catherine Called Birdy<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dunham takes a loose, playful approach, rather than the traditional, more staid style usually applied to films set in this period. This is not only more easily accessible for a young audience, but it\u2019s on theme as well; Catherine rails against the rules set for her gender and position, and she\u2019s ahead of her time. It\u2019s easy to see what Dunham connected with in the material, given its appeal to anyone who wants to rebel against societal expectations. Similar to the book\u2019s prose, which was all in diary form, the dialogue in this adaptation doesn\u2019t feel stuffy or stuck in the 13th century. Thankfully, Catherine Called Birdy<\/em> doesn\u2019t give me flashbacks to the nightmares of my Middle English-heavy courses as a literature major, but it also doesn\u2019t feel too<\/em> modern \u00e0 la Persuasion<\/em><\/a>. It feels natural and lively, suitable for both the era it\u2019s depicting as well as the time it\u2019s being watched. The film has a similar vibe to Autumn de Wilde\u2019s 2020 version of Emma<\/em>, which stayed true to Jane Austen\u2019s novel while feeling fresh. A Knight\u2019s Tale<\/em> and its inclusion of modern music also feel like a touchstone, with Catherine Called Birdy<\/em>\u2019s soundtrack featuring singer Misty Miller\u2019s medieval-inflected, acoustic-guitar-driven covers of songs like Supergrass\u2019 \u201cAlright,\u201d Elastica\u2019s \u201cConnection,\u201d and Alicia Keys\u2019 \u201cGirl on Fire.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The novel Catherine Called Birdy<\/em> is a mainstay on school reading lists, but it never feels like homework. Dunham\u2019s adaptation is a similar delight, evoking both near-constant giggles and such a pure affection for Catherine herself that you worry your heart might burst. Though the centuries-ago setting may seem initially foreign to modern viewers, it\u2019s difficult not to identify with the lovable character and her plight of simply wanting to choose her destiny in a world that has a narrow view of what girls can and can\u2019t do. “Catherine Called Birdy” is in limited release now. It streams on Amazon Prime on Friday<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ccb2-1024x512.jpg\")
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