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Birdy is a 1984 movie directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, and John Harkins. The movie is based on a novel by William Wharton and tells the story of two childhood friends who are reunited after serving together in the Vietnam War. The movie is set in Philadelphia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The two main characters, Birdy (Modine) and Al (Cage), grew up together and spent their childhood exploring the city and dreaming of flying. Birdy is obsessed with birds and spends his free time studying and imitating them. Al, on the other hand, is more practical and dreams of escaping the city and starting a new life elsewhere.

After serving in Vietnam, both Birdy and Al are physically and emotionally scarred. Birdy has been severely injured and spends his days in a psychiatric hospital, where he communicates only through chirping and flapping his arms like a bird. Al, meanwhile, has become withdrawn and angry, haunted by the memories of his experiences in Vietnam.

The rest of the movie follows the two friends as they try to reconnect and come to terms with their pasts. Al is determined to bring Birdy back to reality, while Birdy retreats more and more into his bird-like world. The movie is a study of the complexities of human relationships and the horrors of war, as well as a meditation on the transformative power of love and friendship.

One of the most striking aspects of the movie is its use of imagery and sound. Birdy's obsession with birds is reflected in the movie's visual aesthetic, with numerous shots of birds in flight and close-ups of Birdy's face as he imitates their movements. The movie also features a haunting soundtrack by Peter Gabriel, which complements the dreamlike quality of the images on screen.

The performances of Modine and Cage are also noteworthy. Modine's portrayal of Birdy is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing, as he inhabits the character's bird-like mannerisms with a rare sensitivity and authenticity. Cage, meanwhile, delivers one of his best performances as Al, a complex and conflicted character who struggles to reconcile his past with his present.

Overall, Birdy is a beautiful and haunting movie that explores the difficult terrain of human relationships and the lasting impact of war. It is a testament to the power of cinema to capture the complexity and beauty of the human experience, and to make us see the world in new and unexpected ways.

Birdy is a 1984 drama with a runtime of 2 hours. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2 and a MetaScore of 71.