The Yellow Birds is a 2017 American war film directed by Alexandre Moors and based on the novel The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston, and Jennifer Aniston.

Plot

The story alternates between flashbacks of U.S. soldier Brandon Bartle's time serving in Iraq with his friend Daniel "Murph" Murphy, and Bartle returning to his home in Richmond, Virginia. Only Bartle has come back, leaving the fate of Murph a mystery. Bartle first meets Murph during basic training, with Murph noting both men are from Virginia. While Murph is a middle-class kid who wants to attend the University of Virginia after his service, Bartle is from a working-class background and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. Despite their differences, the two soldiers form a friendship. At a party before the men ship off to Iraq, Bartle meets Murph’s mom Maureen, who makes him promise that if anything happens to her son, he’ll bring her the news personally.