Birdy (1984)

Matthew Modine is the eccentric bird man and Nicolas Cage his best friend returning from the Vietnam war to try and help his friend escape a mental lapse.  Director Alan Parker creates a beautiful multi layered film that's poetic in style and nostalgic in memory.  The two leads give solid performances that keep their characters' motivations clear while remaining complex human beings.  It's fascinating to me that the novel by William Wharton it's based on was set during WWII without changing the themes of the story.  I guess this says something about the universal truths of friendship, war and the human journey to find meaning in ones life.  In many ways this underrated film is a true lesser known classic of the '80s. Grade: A-