The Yellow Birds (film)


The Yellow Birds is a 2017 American war film directed by Alexandre Moors and based on the novel The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston and Jennifer Aniston.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017. It was released on May 17, 2018, through DirecTV Cinema before being released in a limited release and through video on demand on June 15, 2018, by Saban Films.

Plot

Two young U.S. soldiers, Bartle and Murph navigate the terrors of the Iraq War under the command of the older, troubled Sergeant Sterling. All the while, Bartle is tortured by a promise he made to Murph's mother before their deployment.

Cast

first adapted the book into a screenplay and was originally tapped to direct, but had to drop out because of a scheduling conflict with Pete's Dragon. Once Alexandre Moors replaced Lowery as director, Moors' Blue Caprice screenwriter R.F.I. Porto was brought on to revise the script. Benedict Cumberbatch and Will Poulter were originally cast but they dropped out after the project was delayed and were replaced by Jack Huston and Alden Ehrenreich. The title song was written by John Mellencamp.

Filming

on the film began in October 2015 in Morocco, and it wrapped up on January 29, 2016.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017. Shortly after, Saban Films and DirecTV Cinema acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. It is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2018, through DirecTV Cinema before being released in a limited release and through video on demand on June 15, 2018.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 45% based on 40 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 5.34/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Yellow Birds has a strong cast and a worthy message, but they're both lost in this war drama's rote, clichéd story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Accolades