Broken Bird
From the Archives
•
9m 58s
A biracial girl caught between worlds prepares for her Bat Mitzvah and adulthood. Radiating with warmth and lived-in specificity, “Broken Bird,” directed by Rachel Harrison Gordon, is a tender coming-of-age drama about a divided upbringing. Birdie has reached a vulnerable age of anxiety and self-consciousness, which isn’t made any easier by the fact she’s split between two cultural identities, owing to a white mother and a black father (who are no longer together). After being dropped off with her dad for the day — with whom she’s allowed to drink soda, and encouraged to listen to disco music — Birdie confides in him that she’s struggling with her Bat Mitzvah responsibilities. Her father tries to cheer her up, but she’s got a lot on her mind including worrying whether he will attend her upcoming ceremony. The story is semi-autobiographical (read more in our interview with Gordon here), and resonates as a pinpointed exploration of identity told with restraint and nuance, brought home with a great performance from Indigo Hubbard-Salk.
Up Next in From the Archives
-
Monica - Part Four
A darkly comedic web series about Monica Lewinsky’s life in 2001, when she was 27 and living in New York City.
Created by Doron Max Hagay and Lily Marotta. Starring Lily Marotta. Featuring Erin Markey. DP Daniel Rampulla.
-
Trailer | Carmen & Moony
-
Hasim October
An Indian-American teenager is caught between a crush and an anthrax prank in the weeks following 9/11. “Hasim October,” by director Swetha Regunathan, is a portrait of youthful frustration at a chaotic moment in American history. On the day before her 15th birthday, Brinda and her friend are wa...