Twelve-year-old Bailey lives in a squat in Gravesend with her brother Hunter and their chaotic father Bug. When Bug announces his sudden engagement, Bailey encounters a mysterious stranger called Bird, searching for his long-lost mother.
Filmed across Gravesend, Dartford, Ashford, Bean, and the Isle of Sheppey—including beaches and marshlands—Arnold transforms Kent’s “wild estuarine marshes with factories, beaches fringed with lurid amusement arcades.” Bailey helps Bird navigate his quest while dealing with her own family’s struggles. The film blends social realism with magical elements, culminating in a fantastical revelation.
+ Intro Q&A with Director Andrea Arnold & Lawrence Jackson, author of ‘Uncanny Landscapes in 21st Century British Cinema: The Pestilence in the Ditch‘
“Quite entrancing… something unlike anything Arnold’s done before.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“An often shimmering, lovely, and emotionally generous entry.” — IndieWire