This year’s Western European entries happen to be offbeat coming-of-age tales. The British film follows a teenage girl who discovers her inner power thanks to her peculiar new friend, while the Belgian entry redefines young love.

BIRD (United Kingdom) 

Barry Keoghan forfeited a role in Gladiator II for this earnest coming-of-age drama. You can say it was worth the gamble, even if this was much smaller in scale than Ridley Scott’s epic sequel. For one, it’s his first time to play a father, and an easy-going junkie at that. His main source of income is selling hallucinogenic toads, while being high for the most part.  

When he plans to marry a woman he’s known for only three weeks, it triggers resentment in his teenage daughter, Bailey, magnificently portrayed by newcomer Nykiya Adams. Suddenly rebellious, she trims her luxurious afro and joins her half-brother’s rambunctious antics. As she winds up in a grassy field, she meets a mysterious wanderer known only as Bird (delightfully quirky Franz Rogowski), who also happens to behave like his ornithological namesake. This includes whiling away hours perched on a rooftop, observing the streets below. 

As the pair grow more acquainted, their lives turn out to be more tethered than expected, as Bailey’s estranged mother used to be neighbors with Bird’s long-lost father. Soon, their peculiar allegiance grows into a tight friendship as they jointly come to terms with their respective pasts. It’s especially daunting for Bailey, when domestic violence comes into play.

Bird marks British filmmaker Andrea Arnold’s return to narrative format since 2021’s also-zoologically-titled documentary, Cow. Even with that fever dream of a twist, the tale remains credible and poignant, with Keoghan’s character development adding emotional heft. It’s a welcome reprieve for everyone who’s seen him in Saltburn, as his transformation calls for familial respect and unconditional love without sounding contrived. It’s exactly what makes this low-key film an underrated gem. As for Nykiya Adams, suffice to say, a breakthrough star is born. 

YOUNG HEARTS (Belgium) 

Loosely put, it’s a European take on the BL (Boys’ Love) sub-genre popularized by Asians. Young Hearts breaks new ground for one obvious reason: its lead characters are only 14. Anthony Schatterman’s greatest feat here is maintaining the Flemish characters’ youthful innocence, despite the potentially taboo premise. Elias (Lou Goosens) and Alexander (Marius De Saeger) never go sensual. At most, they’re shown leaning against each other and struggling to explain, much more express, their desires. Such gestures classify as intimacy too, and it’s why this family drama still feels warm and fuzzy, if not over-idealistic.