The Painted Bird

The Painted Bird (2019) is Václav Marhoul's war drama, available to watch online on iFILM. Shot in black and white and running close to three hours, it adapts Jerzy Kosiński's notorious novel about a child swallowed by wartime Europe.

A nameless Jewish boy drifts from village to village across Eastern Europe while the Second World War grinds on around him. No parents, no home, and every stranger is a gamble — some hide him, others beat, sell or maim him. He carries what is done to him in near silence, barely speaking across the whole film. Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel, Udo Kier, Barry Pepper and Aleksei Kravchenko turn up for a few minutes each, and each leaves a mark.

Marhoul spent nearly a decade on the project and invented a neutral Interslavic tongue so no single nation could claim the cruelty as its own. The film opened the Venice competition and became the most talked-about premiere of its year, with viewers walking out by the dozen. It is cold, punishing and oddly beautiful — not a casual night in, but essential for anyone ready for an unflinching statement on how war hollows people out. Stream The Painted Bird (2019) online on iFILM.