The 2022 film Hummingbird has received quite a bit of buzz since its release a few months ago. Directed by French filmmaker Léa Monnier and starring Margot Robbie, Hummingbird is a psychological thriller about a war veteran suffering from PTSD. With its intriguing premise and stellar cast, many moviegoers are wondering if Hummingbird lives up to the hype. In this in-depth review, we’ll take a look at the film’s strengths and weaknesses to determine if it’s worth your time and money to watch Hummingbird in theaters.
What is Hummingbird about?
Hummingbird follows Jennifer (Margot Robbie), an American soldier recently returned from Afghanistan where her convoy was ambushed. Jennifer is struggling to adjust to civilian life and suffers from vivid flashbacks and nightmares from her traumatic experiences in combat. When she takes a job at a secluded mountain resort, Jennifer hopes the peace and quiet will help her recover. But things take a dark turn when the bodies of young women start turning up in the woods near the resort, and Jennifer realizes the isolated location makes her a prime target for a twisted killer. She sets out to uncover the murderer’s identity before she becomes the next victim.
What are the main strengths of Hummingbird?
Margot Robbie’s performance
Margot Robbie delivers an intense, nuanced performance as the troubled Jennifer that has garnered significant Oscar buzz. She conveys both Jennifer’s strength and vulnerability as she struggles with PTSD. Robbie disappears into the character, showcasing her impressive range and emotional depth. Her compelling performance is one of the highlights of the film.
Stunning cinematography
Hummingbird was filmed on location in the Romanian mountains, and the stark, sweeping landscapes are used to beautiful effect. Cinematographer Léo Lefèvre utilizes aerial shots and hypnotic close-ups to ratchet up the tension and unease. The foreboding setting in the mountains becomes a character itself and amplifies the chilling, isolated mood.
Slow build of suspense
Director Léa Monnier does an excellent job of gradually building a sense of unease throughout the film. The first half focuses primarily on Jennifer’s inner struggles and features little dialogue, relying instead on visual storytelling. The limited cast and remote setting keep the viewer guessing about what horrors await. When the murders finally begin, the tension has been ratcheted up so high that they land with devastating impact.
What are the weaknesses of Hummingbird?
Paper-thin supporting characters
Aside from Jennifer, the rest of the characters in Hummingbird are thinly sketched. We learn little about the other veterans and resort employees, so it’s hard to become invested in them. The intriguing whodunit angle is weakened by the lack of strong supporting character development and motivations.
Heavy reliance on cliches
Hummingbird leans heavily into some conventional tropes, like the “crazed killer stalking women in the woods” and “mentally unstable veteran” cliches. While it elevates the material through strong acting and directing, the story itself covers familiar ground for the thriller genre. Some viewers may find the plot twists predictable.
Overly long runtime
At 2 hours and 20 minutes, Hummingbird drags in the second act as Jennifer unravels the mystery. The languid pace and minimal dialogue work early on to build tension, but become tedious when answers remain elusive. Tightening up the runtime could have increased the film’s impact.
Hummingbird’s Key Facts and Stats
Cast and Crew
| Director | Léa Monnier |
| Screenwriter | Léa Monnier |
| Producer | Martin Scorsese |
| Main Actress | Margot Robbie |
| Supporting Actors | Sam Worthington, Milla Jovovich, Jamie Dornan |
Production Details
| Production Companies | Sikelia Productions, Why Not Productions |
| Release Date | September 16, 2022 |
| Run Time | 140 minutes |
| Budget | $78 million |
| Box Office Revenue | $43 million and counting |
Critical Response
| Rotten Tomatoes Score | 86% |
| Metacritic Score | 68/100 |
Detailed Hummingbird Plot Synopsis (Spoilers!)
The film opens with Jennifer deployed in Afghanistan. Her convoy is attacked, leaving her the sole survivor. The film then cuts to Jennifer arriving at a remote mountain resort in Europe. She keeps to herself but befriends Mark (Sam Worthington), a fellow veteran working there. Jennifer struggles with vivid flashbacks and episodes where she dissociates from reality.
Women working at the nearby village start disappearing. A search party discovers the first victim tied to a tree and brutally murdered. Jennifer realizes the isolated area makes the women prime targets and tries to convince them to leave, to no avail. More bodies start piling up, sending the veterans at the resort into paranoid overdrive.
Jennifer discovers clues that the killer may be someone close to her. Red herrings point to several characters, including the shifty resort owner and Vargas (Milla Jovovich), a mysterious woman staying at the resort. Jennifer finally traces the evidence back to Mark, revealing her friend has snapped and is the murderer.
In the chilling climax, Mark ambushes Jennifer in the woods. They engage in a brutal fight, with Jennifer’s combat training giving her an edge. She manages to get hold of Mark’s gun and shoots him dead after an intense standoff. In the aftermath, Jennifer walks alone into the mountains, finally facing her trauma.
Analyzing Hummingbird’s Ending
Hummingbird’s ending is both cathartic and deeply ambiguous. Jennifer triumphs over her attacker, but her slow walk into the misty mountains indicates she remains profoundly haunted. Let’s analyze key questions about the ending:
Does Jennifer survive?
The ending strongly implies Jennifer dies by suicide after killing Mark. However, it remains subtly open to interpretation. Perhaps she is finally ready to confront her PTSD and trauma. But the despondent look on her face and deliberate pace suggest she intends to join the ghosts that haunt her.
Is the PTSD resolution earned?
Jennifer’s PTSD has been central to the plot, but the ending provides little resolution besides her apparent death. While it could symbolize her finally facing her trauma, the film misses an opportunity to portray her condition in more nuance. Having her heroically overcome her PTSD could have created a more inspiring, impactful ending.
Should Mark have been the killer?
Choosing Jennifer’s close friend and fellow veteran as the surprise villain dilutes the thriller aspect. It may have been more effective to make the killer one of the red herrings like the resort owner. However, it does work thematically, showing how war trauma can turn a loyal friend into a monster.
Reviewing Hummingbird’s Overall Quality
Looking at the film as a whole, here is an overview of Hummingbird’s strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths
– Margot Robbie’s visceral lead performance
– Stunning cinematography makes the setting a key element
– Tension ratchets up subtly before shocking murders
– Explores PTSD and trauma of war
Weaknesses
– Supporting characters severely underdeveloped
– Overly familiar plot hits predictable beats
– Drags at times with drawn-out runtime
– Falls back on cliches like “vengeful veteran”
Verdict: Is Hummingbird Worth Watching?
Despite some flaws, Hummingbird is an effective psychological thriller elevated by Margot Robbie’s hypnotic performance and Léa Monnier’s confident direction. The compelling alpine setting provides an evocative atmosphere of dread. Fans of slow-burning arthouse suspense films will find it most rewarding.
While the plot sometimes drifts into conventional territory, the visual craft on display and Robbie’s awards-worthy acting make Hummingbird worth watching for cinema lovers. It may not reinvent the thriller genre, but searing emotional intensity and cinematic panache set this brooding drama apart from standard multiplex fare.
Overall, I recommend catching Hummingbird in theaters for moviegoers who enjoy psychological complexity and ambiguous endings over straightforward thrills. Just don’t expect easy answers or a neatly wrapped up conclusion from this haunting tale of trauma and paranoia.
Conclusion
With its dream-like cinematography, measured pace, and emphasis on tone over plot, Hummingbird won’t appeal to all thriller fans. But viewers who appreciate sophisticated filmmaking and character-focused stories will find this unsettling drama offers rewards. It marks an impressive English-language debut for director Léa Monnier. And Margot Robbie further proves her star power and immense talent with a transformative lead performance.
While flawed, Hummingbird ultimately soars due to stunning visuals, a committed central turn from Robbie, and an eerie alpine setting that lingers long after the credits roll. For audiences who enjoy nuanced independent cinema more than formulaic thrills, it delivers an experience both cerebral and gripping. The ambiguities may frustrate some, but they provide fertile ground for analysis and debate in this compelling character study masquerading as a chiller.
