Anora, Bird and Our Favourite Wild Tonal Shifts in Movies

The Cineskinny

This week we review two films from directors who like to shine a light on communities on the margins.

First up, we take a look at the coming-of-age drama Bird, the sixth feature film from Andrea Arnold. It concerns a young girl named Bailey (Nykiya Adams), who thinks she's met a kindred spirit in the title character Bird, played by Franz Rogowski. But all is not as it seems.

Next, it's Anora, the eighth feature from Sean Baker, which won the coveted Palme d'Or earlier this year. The film introduces us to Ani (Mikey Madison), a dancer at a New York strip club, whose life gets turned upside down when she spends a whirlwind week with a gawky Russian playboy, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn).

And as both Anora and Bird are notable for their ambitious tonal shifts, we take a look at some of our favourite (and least favourite) tonal shifts in cinema.

TIMESTAMPS
What We've Been Watching - horrors (The Blob, The Ring, Immaculate), Juror #2 and Gilmore Girls (2:17)
Bird review (10:42)
Anora review (25:10)
Our favourite tonal shifts in movies ft Sorry to Bother You, Mute Witness, Laura, Psycho (39:13)

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Intro/outro music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license