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This week at The Tryon Theatre is “White Bird: A Wonder Story,” a sequel to the well-received 2017 family film Wonder. In it, a young boy with a facial condition learns to prioritize kindness and curiosity despite the fear others may have of him. A key figure in the sculpting of his emotional maturity is his grandmother, played by Helen Mirren. Mirren’s character in this sequel assumes the central role, telling a story of her formative years to her grandson. 

Ultimately, the majority of this film operates as a period piece, situated in the early 1940s of her youth, as Europe grapples with the rise of Nazism and war looms ever present. Additionally, beyond the set-up of characters, the stand-alone nature of this film’s central narrative works independently of the first film, should one not have seen “Wonder.” 

“White Bird” is very well made, with excellent acting and sharp directing, but it is in the film’s emotional beats that the audience will find either their greatest connection or their certain disinterest. These emotional threads of the narrative are clear and strong in their voice, arguing for the affirmation of kindness and courage, universally celebrated ideals. This film’s unambiguously moral stance can be off-putting for any viewer seeking subtlety but is an unabashedly laudable intent in its affirmation of good, and denouncement of fearful cruelty. This film’s perspective from a young woman works well for keeping the film’s portrayal of war at the right distance, with some admitted brutality, mostly of spirit, not image. “White Bird” is a film that will appeal to family members of all ages in search of a morally encouraging and artfully constructed film. 

We hope this softer and more hopeful film will strike the right chord with our community as we emerge from our recent disconnection from normalcy. 

Obviously, we find ourselves in the festive Halloween season, but rather than push our existing schedule to re-open to our public with something frightening, we have opted for staying with a film that would be more gentle to our recently shocked patrons. However, we will be heading right back into the season with some spooky selections to follow in the next two weeks, “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” and a Halloween pairing of “Ghostbusters” and “The Little Shop of Horrors,” some charmingly campy but nonetheless frightening fare. Additionally, we will be reshowing the interrupted pairing of “E.T.” and “Back to the Future,” with both returning in early November. Any customer who had already purchased tickets and was unable to redeem them will only have to provide their name from the online list when they come to attend the rescheduled shows, and their tickets will still be good. We understand that our closure was an additional inconvenience on top of everyone’s more existential inconveniences of late. We promise had we been able to provide our community the escape of cinema during this trying time, we would have. 

We are excited to once again be bringing films to Tryon, and we look forward to seeing you soon!