Firebird is a 2021 romantic war drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Peeter Rebane (in his feature directorial debut), based on Sergey Fetisov's memoir The Story of Roman.

Set in the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War, it tells the true story of forbidden love between a private and a fighter pilot.

[12] On 22 February 2022, it was announced that the director Peeter Rebane had granted the film's distribution rights for the United States to Roadside Attractions, with its limited theatrical release on 29 April 2022.

[15] Randy Myers in his review for The Mercury News gave it a 3.5 stars[16] and said it is "a glossy and classy melodrama that soars with passion and is elevated by strong production values, heartfelt performances and a story arc that journeys to unexpected destinations".

[17] In the Daily Mirror, Lewis Knight said that it "is not a revolutionary Queer romance by any means but it is a glossy love story with conviction and genuine historical tragedy.

"[18] Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave it a 3 out of 5 star and wrote that "it's a rather sad story" but "the dialogue is often more than a little stiff and there's something weirdly off", and "the film's exploration of love, courage and the price of speaking your truth is as timely as it's ever been, and for Russians particularly".

[19] Cary Darling of Houston Chronicle gave it a 3/5 stars and described that "even though this beautifully shot and generally well-acted British-Estonian co-production is based on a memoir, it feels too PBS polite, as if the edges have been rubbed away from the real story to appeal to as wide an audience as possible".

[20] Dan Callahan wrote in TheWrap, "the dominant creative force is cinematographer Mait Mäekivi, who gives the blues and reds of the uniforms and the flags on display an early-Technicolor sort of gleam".

[21] Gary Goldstein's review for the Los Angeles Times proclaimed the "romance gets enough of an on-screen workout to feel sexy and authentic, though the characters seem to take a few too many lust-over-logic risks".

[26] Guy Lodge of Variety wrote the film is "a tragic true story underpins director Peeter Rebane's earnest queer melodrama, but hoary symbolism and hokey scripting work against its authenticity" and "crushes so hard on its admittedly rapturous boy-meets-boy romance that it barely sketches out a bigger picture".

[27] The Hollywood Reporter's Sheri Linden stated that "there's so much potential heart and heartbreak in Firebird's tale of forbidden passion that the screenplay and the cautious pacing become frustrating; with every ache measured and spelled out, the film's dogged striving for poetry too often leaves it feeling disappointingly prosaic".