It's 1965 rural Australia. Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) is a student in an all-male boarding school. His stuttering and his looks leave him the target of bullying along with the abusive teachers. The other kids call him "Bird" as a taunt. In the neighbor all-girls school, Nicola Radcliffe (Nicole Kidman) is the lead girl. Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton) is the new girl and she's bullied for being black.
All the characters are so ugly in this movie. It really puts me in the wrong mood for a comedy. It doesn't feel right as a drama either. I don't like the lead characters. Danny has a smugness about being a victim of bullying. Thandiwe also has a cold superiority about her. Nicola is surprising the most intriguing character of them all. It's tough to laugh at any of this and hard to feel for any of the characters.
All the characters are so ugly in this movie. It really puts me in the wrong mood for a comedy. It doesn't feel right as a drama either. I don't like the lead characters. Danny has a smugness about being a victim of bullying. Thandiwe also has a cold superiority about her. Nicola is surprising the most intriguing character of them all. It's tough to laugh at any of this and hard to feel for any of the characters.