There’s a scene in Catherine Called Birdy, which began streaming on Amazon today, in which Bella Ramsey forces herself to walk barefoot on rocks. She very seriously informs her caretaker that she is doing so to practice self-sacrifice, in order to become a saint. She doesn’t want to be a lady, you see, and sees being a saint as her only alternative. Ramsey’s comical, obstinate attitude immediately reminded me of author Beverly Clearly’s beloved character, Ramona Quimby, a headstrong child who couldn’t fit the mold of a well-behaved little girl if she tried. And anyone who loved Ramona as a child will fall fast for Ramsey in Catherine Called Birdy.
Based on the 1994 children’s novel of the same name by Karen Cushman, Catherine Called Birdy is a medieval coming-of-age tale that tells the story of a noble, pre-teen girl clinging to childhood for as long as she possibly can. The 13-year-old Lady Catherine, who goes by Birdy, is all too aware of the fact that the prospect of becoming a woman in this day and age means nothing good—especially when her father, Lord Rollo (a delightfully messy Andrew Scott), is eager to marry her off to a rich gentleman. Birdy, determined to have a say in her future, hides her blood-soaked rags when she gets her period and sabotages every meeting with a potential suitor. She is, as she writes in her diary addressed to her brother, “quite cunning,” adding, “Most girls are, though we’re not given due credit for it.”
Director Lena Dunham, who also adapted the script, presents Birdy’s exploits with the same impish, childlike joy that made Beverly Clearly’s Ramona novels so compelling. Each new character is introduced with cheeky on-screen text, featuring Birdy’s colorful commentary on their history and personality. The modern soundtrack is pitch-perfect, including an impeccably timed needle-drop of Billie Piper’s “Honey to the Bee” as Birdy gazes upon a line-up of hot monks at the monastery. (It’s particularly appropriate because Piper plays Birdy’s on-screen mother, Lady Aislinn.) But it’s Ramsey’s compelling performance as Birdy that will truly draw audiences in.
Bella Ramsey—who will soon star in HBO’s sure-to-be hit series The Last of Us—is no stranger to portraying kick-ass medieval ladies. At age 13, she made her acting debut as Lady Lyanna Mormont in HBO’s Game of Thrones, a fierce, intelligent leader who refused to let age or gender define her. From there, she went on to star as Lady Jane Grey in the Starz historical drama Becoming Elizabeth—an undoubtedly far more tragic character, but one who nonetheless finds her voice in her male-dominated world. But Lady Catherine—sorry, Birdy— is a chance for Ramsey to finally flaunt her comedic chops, and she does so in spades. She throws herself into Birdy’s antics without reservation, from flinging herself into mud puddles to hissing like a wild animal to scare off suitors.
Birdy is coming of age in the year 1290, but her growing pains are universal to any era. When her favorite uncle George (played by Joe Alwyn) falls for her best friend Aelis (Isis Hainsworth) and starts paying more attention to Aelis than Birdy, she is consumed by jealousy, prompting her to (temporarily) blow up the friendship. Though her body may, technically, be ready for reproduction, she’s all but clueless about sex. (She doesn’t know the meaning of the word “virgin,” having only heard it in reference to the Bible.) And though she’s downright terrified to leave the safety and comfort of childhood, she learns to face her fears. Growing up, she learns, isn’t about getting your period or getting a husband—it’s about the responsibility of caring for others, not just yourself.
While Ramona Quimby was pulling pretty girls’ curls and smashing eggs on her head in the 1950s, Ramsey’s Lady Catherine is rolling in the mud and jousting with crucified saints in medieval times. Both characters offer a valuable lesson for young women in their audience—permission to defy societal expectations and be their true, weird, loud, rude, brash, stubborn selves. Because no matter the decade, life has not been fair to young girls. All of our favorite feisty heroines—Ramona Quimby, Pippi Longstocking, Anne of Green Gables, and now Birdy—are downright pissed about that fact. And we love them for it.
