Catherine Called Birdy

Lena Dunham adapted this from Karen Cushman's children's novel of 1994. Catherine is fourteen, the daughter of a minor lord in thirteenth-century England, and her father intends to marry her off to clear his debts. Catherine's entire occupation is driving away the suitors as they arrive. Bella Ramsey carries the lead and supplies all of the film's energy, with Andrew Scott as the father and Billie Piper as the mother. Scott's performance keeps the character from being a simple tyrant: he genuinely loves his daughter and is also trying to sell her, because he knows no other system. The idiom is deliberately contemporary, with modern songs and dialogue written in today's voice. That drew the most criticism and irritated viewers wanting historical consistency. Dunham's intent is plain enough: not to reconstruct the period but to translate what it felt like to be a girl in it. The film screened in Toronto on 12 September 2022 and reached Prime Video on 7 October. Who it is for: viewers who want to watch Bella Ramsey and enjoy buoyant, anachronistic period comedy. Who it is not for: anyone seeking historical accuracy, or who will find the modern songs artificial.