CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY
★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 12A / 108 MINS
DIRECTOR Lena Dunham
CAST Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Billie Piper
The brittle humour of Girls meets the brutal underlying themes of Game Of Thrones in Lena Dunham’s adaptation of Karen Cushman’s Medieval era-set novel. Bella Ramsey plays Lady Catherine, a plucky teen who crushes on local boys but has no intention to wed, to the chagrin of her father (Andrew Scott), who hopes to absolve his debt with her bride price. Meanwhile, her long-suffering but loved-up mother (Billie Piper) endures a string of unsuccessful pregnancies, further adding to Catherine’s disdain for domesticity. This central trio are, despite their hardships, endlessly charming and the actors master the beats of Dunham’s comic writing effortlessly. The film falters tonally though, shoehorning forced feminist flourishes into a tale that could easily bring its message home without Fleabag-style monologues or breathy pop covers.