Little Birds

Director: Elgin James
Screenwriters: Elgin James

Description

Little Birds emanates both a harsh reality and an innocent luster as it explores the vigorous desire to escape one’s home—and the heavy price it can cost.
Fifteen-year-old Lily and her best friend, Alison, live on the shores of the Salton Sea. Sprinting toward adulthood, Lily wants to escape her depressing hometown. But Alison is content with her life; she enjoys being sheltered from the uncertainty of growing up. When the girls meet three street kids, Lily convinces Alison to follow the boys to Los Angeles. Thrust into a world of excitement and danger, the girls must decide how far they are willing to go to get what they want.
Writer/director Elgin James possesses an innate understanding of the fledgling characters, valiantly brought to life on the screen by Juno Temple and Kay Panabaker, who perfectly embody their strength and fragility. Brutally honest and beautifully rendered, Little Birds delivers a stunning portrait of innocence lost.


(Archives note: see also Elgin James' Meet The Artist interview on our YouTube Channel.)

— Trevor Groth

Screening Details

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]