Bluebird

A compassionate and literate twelve year old girl finds her heart starting to harden after the bullies at her prestigious school single her out for harassment in director Mijke de Jong's tender coming of age drama. Thirteen year old Merel (Elske Rotteveel) is a diligent student who's well read, athletic, and may even have a promising future as a singer. She's got a caring relationship with her physically disabled, younger brother Kasper (Kees Scholten), and displays an unusual level of independence in refusing to fall in with any particular schoolyard clique. Though it isn't entirely clear why Merel has become the target of some particularly nasty bullies as of late, it's readily apparent that the situation has become rather serious when the expressive girl begins to become emotionally withdrawn, and arrives home from school with some mysterious bruises and a broken bike. Unable or unwilling to disclose the problem to the adults in her life who clearly seem to care, Merel's youthfully optimistic outlook on life gradually begins to darken until the situation finally comes to a head and she's forced to make a crucial decision that will foreshadow exactly what kind of woman she will grow up to become.~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide