Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Amazon Prime
There is a steadfast rule when it comes to period films: If a period piece has an anachronistic soundtrack, it’s going to knock you dead. Catherine Called Birdy gracefully falls into this category.
Lena Dunham’s new movie is practically buzzing with joy, a delightful coming-of-age romp soundtracked by spunky covers of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” and Supergrass’ “Alright.” Following the likes of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and the underrated Apple TV+ gem Dickinson, Catherine Called Birdy tells of a young lass living in 13th-century England. Birdy (Bella Ramsey) is a girl becoming a woman, though she’ll put every roadblock in her father’s (Andrew Scott) way before she is to marry.
We meet little Birdy during a pivotal moment in her life: her first menstrual cycle. Panicked at the first sight of blood, she rushes to tell her nurse Morwenna (Lesley Sharp) that she’s dying. Leave the bible to her brother. Leave the dresses to her best friend, Aelis. Birdy whines out her will, sad to leave the world, but still chipper about all the fun she’s had. But her true fate is much worse than death. When Birdy finds out that this means she’s a woman and can now be sold off into marriage, she’s even more distraught.