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Plot

Director Alan Parker tackles this adapation of William Wharton's novel, which retains much of the source material's texture and complexity. Matthew Modine is Birdy, who comes back from Vietnam mentally shattered and deludes himself into thinking that he is a bird, an animal that has obsessed him since childhood. Birdy is confined to a military hospital, where he spends his time sitting naked in his room, not acknowleding anyone, moving and acting like a parakeet. His best friend Al (Nicolas Cage), also a wounded Vietnam vet, visits Birdy every day, determined to bring him back to reality. Birdy is occasionally disjointed but enriched by strong performances from Modine and Cage and a number of hard-to-forget moments.
MPAA Rating:
R
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
120min.
Theatrical Release Date:
10/16/2006
DVD Release Date:
02/15/2000
Director(s):
Alan Parker
Starring:
Matthew Modine , Nicolas Cage , John Harkins , Sandy Baron , Karen Young
Themes:
Home From the War,Mental Illness,Haunted By the Past
Tone:
Bittersweet,Compassionate,Deliberate,Downbeat,Reflective
Keywords:
Vietnam,battle-fatigue,craziness,fantasy,friendship,mental-breakdown,mental-illness,military-hospital,mute,reality
Language:
English