A Song for Mother’s Day

What I think about “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman (click for a sneak peek)

Before becoming an international sensation inspiring a well-regarded film produced by Netflix, Josh Malerman was the lead singer and songwriter of an internationally unknown rock band called “High Strung”. I can affirm without a doubt that Bird Box is a love song, a song appropriate for the date: Mother’s Day. More than a horror story, Bird Box is an epic song about a mother and mother’s power of love overcoming a difficult world, a devastating reality to find a better place for their children. Mallorie is a real mother, an ass-kicker, the mother that everyone would have loved to have. I think that Sandra Bullock’s relationship with the children looked completely empty on the screen, she was just a figure of authority that the children obeyed because they did not want to be hurt. Malerman’s Malorie is more powerful, she is a semi-goddess entity, she goes beyond her own senses in order to give their children a safe spot, a safer place to grow and experience a bit of joy and hope. It is a shame that Netflix was not able to show us that, it may have to do with the medium, I guess.

I believe that this story suffers when it is shown as a film. It is a song, it is a fairy tale, it is better told with words, it is better told with a bit of tragic rock music played in the background, but on the screen, it lacks something that makes it powerful, that makes it notably strong and immersive. I have never been much of a film viewer, I admit. I learned to read stories and read them aloud when I wanted to feel the tension the protagonist was feeling, when I wanted to experience the horror the characters of the stories were passing through. This story works better in the paper, like many other stories. A couple of months ago, I heard a lot of complaints about One Hundred Years of Solitude being produced for television by Netflix. They commented on the impossibility of bringing the story to the screen, and the fact that it was going to be the version of the director, the writer and the people involved in the production.

Yet, this happens all the times. Sometimes with excellent results, sometimes with crappy awful outcomes. I am not saying that Netflix’s Bird Box is rubbish. I actually think it is an engaging story with a strong lead actress, but there were so many decisions that changed the way the story was narrated, that I believe affected how strongly I felt identified with Malorie. Malorie is a better person in Malerman’s little world. Malorie is a mother, a trainer, a leader, a fighter, maybe too heroic for the screen. She has got a fierce fight with wolves to protect the boat and continue their journey! A couple of close encounters with the creatures, very close and uncomfortable! A daring move to solve the mystery of who Gary is and why he seems to be acting all the time. There are a couple of things that were adapted better for the screen and make for a smoother audiovisual product. Malerman’s book is not perfect, but for a first published novel is as good as it gets. In addition, I found it for only $30, 000 Colombian pesitos at the FILBO in Bogotá. Highly recommended. 4.5 out of 5.0