There isn’t a clear set of criteria with which we can judge a filmmaker and determine whether they are objectively good at their chosen vocation, since there are too many variables to consider before we even start constructing such a rubric. However, there are certain qualities that every filmmaker, regardless of background or style, needs to adhere to, and we can immediately tell whether they are a worthwhile artist based on such an assessment. Perhaps the worst quality a director can possess is quite simply to be boring – there are those that find their niche and work comfortably within it, and those who know what works for them artistically and adhere to what is most logical for their specific artistic voice. This isn’t targeted at them, but rather at those who struggle to push themselves beyond their boundaries, whether artistically or narratively. It seemed like Lena Dunham was heading in this direction, with her directorial efforts for film and television being mainly dialogue-heavy stories of middle-class New Yorkers (or from similar urban areas) navigating the strife of millennial life, and struggling to adapt to a world that is rapidly changing. However, this discussion is not an indictment on Dunham, but rather a celebration of the fact that she has extended herself far beyond what her detractors thought possible, directing two very different films this year alone that show that she is far from a one-trick pony, and that her previous successes with Tiny Furniture and Girls were well-earned, but not limiting to the point where she would always work within these kinds of stories. We’ve discussed Sharp Stick at length (which is the better of the two), and instead we’re focusing on Catherine Called Birdy, which represents the most radical departure for the director yet, and a film that is quite endearing, even when it is nothing we have not encountered many times before.

To be perfectly clear, Catherine Called Birdy is not the strongest effort, nor is it a film that necessarily warrants too much attention or overt praise, since it’s nothing particularly special outside of a few delightful details that would have been present regardless of whoever was responsible for its creation. In fact, had it not been Dunham at the helm, it’s very likely that the entire project would have only been partially as fascinating, since the director’s presence is responsible for at least half of the curiosity that surrounded this adaptation of the classic young adult novel of the same title by Karen Cushman, who tells a very compelling story of a young girl coming of age during the treacherous medieval period, and which has formed the foundation for Dunham’s most recent directorial endeavour, which sees her venturing not only out of the familiar urban surroundings of her previous work, but into an entirely different time period altogether. It is unexpected territory for Dunham, who brings a lot of heart and humour to what is an enormously cherished novel, and interprets it through her own uniquely feminist lens. She may not be the first choice we’d expect for this material, but considering art is often a case of requiring the viewer to expect the unexpected, we have to give credit to the director for pushing herself to try something entirely new, even if the results are not all that promising, at least not in comparison to what could have been done had Dunham either tinkered a bit more with the final product, or simply approached it from a different perspective, which would have allowed it to be just as entertaining, but having a degree of refreshing vigour that is ultimately quite lacking from the final product.

With a film like Catherine Called Birdy, the casting of the titular role is of utmost importance – on one hand, you need someone who actually fits the role (and one of the most pleasant developments in recent years is that Hollywood has finally started to cast roles with actors that are of an appropriate age when it comes to younger protagonists), but also has the talents to keep us invested. Bella Ramsey is not lacking in gifts, she just feels like a slightly odd fit for the role, since she doesn’t seem to have the breadth of emotion or complexity needed to convincingly play this character. The role of Catherine is one that needed someone who could capture both the brooding teenage angst and outrageous childlike naivete, and then transplant it onto a medieval setting – and there is very little reason to believe that Ramsey was cast for any other reason than her work on Game of Thrones, since it was apparently more important to put someone in the role who has a handle on the cadence of the dialogue, rather than an actor who could find the humour in the role. Everyone else in Catherine Called Birdy is terrific (including Andrew Scott, who continues to prove himself to be one of our most versatile actors), it is just led by someone who isn’t all that impressive – and while this film doesn’t require an instance of virtuosic acting, it did need someone who could effectively carry the film and likely have this be their signature, defining role – and unfortunately, Ramsey is not the right person, and her performance leaves a lot to be desired, even if it isn’t necessarily bad, but rather missing the vital elements needed to make for an interesting interpretation of this character.

The most significant praise we can give to Catherine Called Birdy is that it sees Dunham actively moving away from her core audience (which has seemingly thinned out in recent years, for reasons that are obvious but not necessarily enough to warrant being nearly blacklisted by the entire industry), and instead pitching her work to an entirely different demographic. This is both where the film succeeds and fails, since it isn’t made explicitly clear that this is far from the darkly comical, subversive film that we may expect from someone who has proven to have a hilariously callous worldview, but rather a film that is targeted at younger viewers, especially those who are of similar age to the titular character, a teenager going through the treacherous journey between adolescence and adulthood – and it was a smart decision to actually retain the spirit of the novel, rather than using it as the springboard for a more risque exploration of these themes. This may represent a major change for the director (as well as a clear effort to challenge those who claimed she lacked versatility as a filmmaker), but considering her work carries a degree of preconceived expectations – whether positive or negative – means that viewers go into Catherine Called Birdy with ideas of what we are going to see, and we’re either going to be pleasantly surprised or bitterly disappointed, depending on how we feel about the director as a whole. However, this is not the merit it may seem to be, since this film is not nearly strong enough to justify such an approach, and Dunham is clearly ironing out some of the more troubling flaws that were present in her previous work, and it can become quite tonally inconsistent, the director struggling to find the right balance between humour and pathos, which is a slight inconvenience when considering the potential that underpins the film as a whole.

Catherine Called Birdy may not represent the most audacious or experimental approach, and Dunham is certainly not someone who warrants praise for directing a relatively endearing comedy that is just above serviceable. However, this is still a film that has enough heart and humour to make up for its glaring flaws, and it is far from a failure (especially considering some of the detractors of the director have actively been hoping for it to be an unmitigated disaster, with the change in setting apparently inciting some degree of cynicism). In fact, it didn’t even need to be all that different when it comes to looking at the areas in which it could have improved – there’s certainly a lot of genuinely meaningful humour peppered throughout the film, and it tackles the subject of the coming-of-age story with a decent amount of panache, enough to qualify it as one of the more compelling entries into the genre. It may not be the most well-crafted medieval farce, and its perspective leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to drawing on the more historical side of the film, which is where the novel found most of its opportunities for humour. As a whole, Catherine Called Birdy is a decent film that may not be much of an artistic achievement in comparison to what Dunham has done before, but it proves that she is capable of doing more consistently solid work, and her vision is far more than just the existential ramblings of wealthy New Yorkers, and can extend to another moment in time entirely. It signals a continuation of a very interesting directorial career, and if all goes well, Dunham will carry on producing works that may not be entirely ambitious, but are compelling enough to keep us engaged and entertained.