The Clay Bird
New York Times Critics' Picks • 1h 34m
Directed by Tareque Masud • Drama • With Nurul Islam Bablu, Jayanto Chattopadhyay, Rokeya Prachy • 2002 • 95 minutes
Set against a 1960's backdrop leading up to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, THE CLAY BIRD tells the story of Anu, a boy sent away by his father to an Islamic school. Far from his family and the warmth of his region's Hindu festivities, Anu struggles to break out of his shell and adapt to the school's harsh monastic life. As the political divisions in the country intensify, an increasing split develops between the school's students, just as Anu's parents find themselves growing apart. Rather than be torn in half, Anu must decide which side he falls upon in this complex tale of tolerance, diversity, and the practice of Islam in a crises-ridden world.
Up Next in New York Times Critics' Picks
-
The Tree
Directed by Julie Bertuccelli • Drama • With Charlotte Gainsbourg • 2010 • 100 minutes
The exquisite Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist, Melancholia, I’m Not There) stars in French filmmaker Julie Bertuccelli’s achingly beautiful follow-up to her sleeper hit Since Otar Left. The Closing Night Film...
-
Our Time
Directed by Carlos Reygadas • Drama • With Carlos Reygadas, Natalia López, Phil Burgers • 2018 • 87 minutes
A family lives in the Mexican countryside raising fighting bulls. Esther is in charge of running the ranch, while her husband Juan, a world-renowned poet, raises and selects the beasts. Al...
-
Chez Jolie Coiffure
Directed by Rosine Mbakam • Documentary • 2018 • 70 minutes
Sabine attaches a hair weave and gets to work. Her hands move quickly and precisely, as she tightly braids the hair in front of the sign in her salon promising African, European, and American-style coiffure. Sabine is a larger than-life...
