The Thing with Feathers

Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a strong and powerful performance throughout this movie, but unfortunately, it's repetitive narrative that explores of themes of grief with many blended elements of different themes, messy direction, and uneven structure becomes more of an exhausting experience rather an emotional experience.

Director Dylan Southern tries to do justice with the original source material that it is based on. Despite it's impactful performance and ambitious approach, Southern struggles with the narrative as many of the themes are repetitive, and it doesn't do really get into the characters very well. Almost as if chooses the Hollywood cliches of how grief is explored and how it is handled.

It's disappointing because I really like the book. But I feel as if the movie doesn't do justice to the material.

I was convinced it couldn't be done and went into this film with trepidation. Max Porter's novella 'Grief is the thing with Feathers' is so singular, so different and so literary, that I would have considered anyone attempting to adapt it to be either stupid or mad!

But somehow they have pulled off the difficult task of adapting something so singular. Things are missing obviously, the literary nuance in places for example, but the film that has been made feels like it comes from the exact same place as the book. It's an odd, slightly mad thing with a kind heart.

Director Southern has taken some big swings and they connect. He has kept things fragmentary and somehow managed to submerge the viewers in this family's grief without drowning them.

The design and look of the film is gorgeous and the performances drawn out of the two young boys is heartbreakingly real. The acting across the board is wonderful, Southern, despite his documentary background, seems to have an aptitude for directing performance.

Crow is delicious. The choice of Thewlis to voice this character is genius.

It's a brilliant adaptation of a tricky book on a tricky subject. Can't wait to see it again.

The thing with Feathers (based on a novel by Max Porter) is a poetic and symbolic allegory exploring the struggle against grief and the reluctant reconciliation with it, ultimately preventing the descent into despair. The film weaves an atmospheric narrative that blends elements of horror, creating a haunting tension that resonates throughout. A standout feature of the film is the presence of an intriguing figure, an anthropomorphic raven. It is a unique creation that shifts between villain and ally, drawn from the protagonist's artwork.

*** Benedict Cumberbatch delivers an outstanding performance, showcasing his remarkable theatrical depth range. His portrayal captures the emotional depth of the character with nuance, subtlety and vulnerability. Additionally, the performances of the children in the film are very good, complementing Cumberbatch's portrayal and framing the protagonist's journey with precision.

*** The Thing with Feathers is a film that invites reflection. It's a challenging watch-one that demands emotional engagement-but ultimately offers an enriching experience, especially for those eager to witness Cumberbatch's extraordinary performance.

We were really lucky to see him before the viewing of the film in this year's Berlinale.

Film Title: The Thing With Feathers Director: Dylan Southern Screenwriter: Dylan Southern Based on: Grief is the Thing With Feathers (Max Porter) Production Companies: MK2 Release Date (USA, Sundance): January 25, 2025 Capone's Rating: 4.5⭐ out of 5⭐ Principal Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall

I have to get something off my chest.

Most modern horror fans might take issue with it, but I need to say it.

I've about had it with trauma horror. Protagonists' whose core characteristics are shorthanded with references to abuse, deaths of loved ones, or compounded microaggressions-we can tell horror stories without these elements, you know? And we can build more thoroughly developed characters. And I have enough actual trauma in my own family-in my own personal experience-that I don't want to meet with it every time I enter a movie theater for a horror film.

Okay. All that being said:

The Thing With Feathers is explicitly and directly about grief after the passing of our protagonist's spouse. His two young children, boys, miss their mother-and dad thinks it best to hide his emotions from them for fear of making things worse for everyone. But as we all know from other trauma-infused horror stories, grief deined will manifest as something spooky. The protagonist's reification of emotion is a monstrous thing with feathers-a crow. And he seems to know it's not real, but he responds as though it is, a clear sign of stress- or grief-induced psychosis. And it's not real for us, either. It signifies his pain, and it talks him through it.

To get the right vibe for The Thing With Feathers, think Babadook (2014) with more therapy and the saddest montage since the opening of Up (2009). And despite what I said above about tiring of trauma-inspired horror, Dylan Southern's effort works very well. Benedict Cumberbatch and the Boxalls (Richard and Henry) are fantastic-the latter pair much less annoying than the kid in Babadook, whose awfulness admittedly was core to the mother losing her grip. Cumberbatch in particular shines as a man overcome by fear of forgetting his wife, not wanting to let her go. The most profound concept the film explores through our protagonist's experience is the distinction between grief and despair: Grief is natural and appropriate; despair is neither.

Four point five of five stars.