An unusual usage of 'bend'
I have a sentence from a film script here.
"DIETER, beer in hand, looks out to the balcony where he can see MICHAEL bent away from them, all by himself."

Is the usage of "bent away" in this sentence correct and common?

Question

An unusual usage of 'bend'
I have a sentence from a film script here. 
"DIETER, beer in hand, looks out to the balcony where he can see MICHAEL bent away from them, all by himself."

Is the usage of "bent away" in this sentence correct and common?

Answer

Unusual but reasonable. "Bent _away_" isn't common or idiomatic. It suggests a more extreme posture than "lean."

The use of "bend" for body position is common enough. "bend down," "bend over," "he's so flexible he can bend himself into a pretzel" are natural. There is an old-fashioned pairing, "to bow and bend."

Answer

It's not common, but writers expand word usage. It communicates the idea.