BIRD BOX (2018) Movie Review

Imagine a world where the most dependable of the five senses is stripped away. This beautiful world that God created for us becomes a brutal, violent battlefield. Even a glimpse of the outside results in the onlookers' violent suicide or at the very least a descent into madness.

Thus, the few survivors of this world lose their ability to enjoy beauty or trust their fellow survivors. None of the characters feels the brunt of that loss more than cynical artist Malorie. Her calling in life is to capture beauty for others to interpret and draw inspiration. However, artists need people to see their work in order to succeed.

She loses her purpose in this new, blind world and it makes her cynical. Her calling changes to the last thing she wants: motherhood. As one of two surviving adults, she becomes a caregiver to two innocent young children born into a dying world. She teaches and protects them, preparing them for an undeniably difficult life. But she does so grudgingly.

Malorie is hardly a sympathetic character. She's harsh and brutally honest. She even threatens and verbally abuses her children. These character flaws, however, make her a survivor. The world becomes such that only the "assholes" survive. She is indeed an asshole.

Despite her harsh methods, her motivation is clear. She strives to keep her children safe. That is all she wants. It is what she lives for.

Bird Box begs a very difficult but necessary question.

Which would you prefer: brutal honesty or deceitful kindness?

Such is the question that Boy and Girl must consider when they suddenly find themselves alone in the forest.

Two voices call to the children.

One is sweet and seductive, telling them what they want to hear. It claims that there is nothing to fear. The world is safe and can be easy. All they must do is remove their blindfolds.

Malorie knows better. She is hardened to the truth that opposes these claims. Desperate for her children to live, she reaches out, screaming for them to ignore that voice and keep their blindfolds on. She begs them to find her.

Though difficult and inconvenient, it is the only way to survive. They must accept the truth of their cold, hard reality. They must heed their mother's brutal warnings if they want to live.

It is easy to heed the voices we want to hear. They encourage a more convenient path and appeal to our egos. They paint a picture of an easy and fulfilling life. Such temptation is hard to resist.

To oblige is to ensure destruction.

It is not what we NEED.

Listen instead to the voice that saves you. It may be harsh. The message may provide a very inconvenient truth. You may be expected to work hard and suffer. In the end, it will save and improve you: heart, body, and soul.