Movie Reviews

A Bird of the Air

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Written by Jonathan Jacobs

A Bird of the Air stars Rachel Nichols (as Fiona) and Jackson Hurst (as Lyman). Lyman and Fiona become lovers and friends though their path to happiness could not be fraught with more mishaps and near misses. Lyman was orphaned as a young boy when his parents were killed in an automobile accident. Since that moment he became emotionally crippled and closed off. Lyman spent his youth in an orphanage and then ironically he later became a member of the highway patrol. Our forsaken protagonist spends his life attempting to rescue victims of wreckages.

Fiona is a traveling librarian. She moves to a new town, dates a local, feels hopelessly underappreciated and then moves on post haste in search of new blood. It is not for me to speculate on Fiona’s sexual inclinations but she certainly moves in for the kill in a hurry. This actually works in Lyman’s favor because he is unfamiliar with dating and needs to be pursued rather than do the wooing. Fiona becomes fixated on him despite his absurd reticence and barricaded inner core.

Perhaps the most important character as pertains to the storyline is not Fiona or Lyman at all. It is the bird, hence the title A Bird of the Air. A canary finds Lyman fortuitously and it teaches him countless lessons in life, love, and moving forward to be happy. The canary becomes a source of mutual intrigue for Fiona and Lyman. It allows them to go on adventures together and to solve a riddle decades in the making.

Ultimately, A Bird of the Air is a non-traditional romance film. There is no major swerve nor is there a straight line from X (a meet cute) to Z (the final destination). Instead there is conflict, personal growth and a hint of bitter tragedy. Lyman is a lost soul and he doesn’t even realize what he is missing. Fiona is looking for true love but doesn’t realize how hard it can be when one’s partner is more torn up inside than she is. For those of you that love a good, long story that pays off at the end I highly recommend this picture. Those among you that enjoy something less dry and slow-moving should seek greener pastures with a more studio-ized picture. 

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