The Yellow Birds is one of the more puzzling films I’ve seen all year. Not because of some convoluted plot or unconventional cinematography, which might have been interesting given the genre. No, my confusion comes from the film’s uneven qualities. Somehow the film provides a uniquely realistic look at the effects of war while the plot does its best to cloud our view.
Based on Kevin Powers’ novel of the same name, The Yellow Birds follows the lives of two soldiers deployed in Iraq. At first, Bartle and Murph (played by Alden Ehrenreich and Tye Sheridan, respectively) go through the usual motions. Both are naïve about what’s going on, I assume because they didn’t actually expect to fight anyone. Bartle, the older of the two, seemingly enlisted because he has nothing else going for him; he’s a bit aimless to say the least. He’s more pessimistic than Murph, who sees his enlistment as an exciting stop before landing a future job or going to college. As things progress and they engage with enemies, their differences become more apparent. They will both struggle to make sense of the fighting and their role in it, their lives forever changed by their harrowing experiences.
Source: IGN.com Solo, Ready Player One Stars Team for The Yellow Birds