Quick Review: Little Birds (2012)

LITTLE BIRDS

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
AUGUST 20, 2013

A fresh and harsh-reality look at a coming of age story, involving two young girls, Elgin James’ “Little Birds” brings Juno Temple and Kay Panabaker together for some of the best young woman acting since “My Girl.” Temple plays wild child Lily, who lives in the Salton Sea, dreaming of drowning herself, cutting herself, and running off to Los Angeles with her homeless boyfriend, Jesse (Kyle Gallner). Panabaker plays the quite the opposite, Alison, who rides horses, knows how to shoot a gun, and loves her quiet mannered father. When another girl threatens Lily, she gets Alison to drive her to the City of Angels, where they shack up with three homeless boys. They adhere to wreaking havoc on the streets of L.A., stealing laptops and luring pedophiles into their abandoned hotel to take their wallets and then blackmailing them. Temple is pristine in this role, having a perfect look to match her anarchist behavior. At the same time, Panabaker couldn’t be more perfect for her role as well, radiating innocence and naivete that rivals the best in any similar performance. Although slightly predictable in the story, “Little Birds” flows nicely, engaging the audience while the girls steal the show.

RELEASE DATE
August 29, 2012

DIRECTOR
Elgin James

WRITTEN BY
Elgin James

STUDIO
Millennium Entertainment

R
(for pervasive language, some violence including a sexual assault, sexuality/nudity, drug and alcohol use – all involving teens)

DRAMA
94 minutes