Magpie Funeral

The Magpie is a bird known to hold funeral-like gatherings for their deceased friends. Is this a sign of grief? Bird experts certainly thinks so. Director Gregory James Green's latest film, 'Magpie Funeral' explores grief, loss, and hope. Coping with loss is painful and never easy. This heartfelt drama deals with how to find purpose in one's life after experiencing a tragic event. It is a story we can all relate to. It's about finding human connection. 'Magpie Funeral' will tug at your heartstrings and not let you go until the closing credits. Put this indie gem on your must-see list.

Sy McMurphy (Darren Burrows) is an aspiring screenwriter. He gets one rejection letter after another from Hollywood agencies. To make ends meet, he works as a director for a local TV station. His boss Randy (David Weisenberg) has a personal vendetta against him and takes satisfaction from Sy's failures. Sy is also a bird lover that always seems to give him solace at the right time. When tragedy strikes, Sy is faced with a painful journey. One day he has a chance encounter with Nancy (Meredith Shank) and her precocious daughter, Lisa (Elizabeth Leach). Since they are all dealing with loss, this new friendship is a welcome gift into Sy's life.

The cast is first-rate. Notably the protagonist Sy played by Darren Burrows. He is best known for his role on the 90s hit TV show, Northern Exposure. Green reflects, "Darren brought a depth to Sy that I was not expecting. He blew me away. Every scene was expertly nuanced." Another praiseworthy mention goes to the actor that plays Sy's nemesis, Randy. David Weisenberg's portrayal of that guy in our lives that tries to kill our dreams is spot-on. One of the standout performances goes to Meredith Shank as Nancy. She embodies the feelings of grief and loss. Her daughter Lisa played by the delightful Elizabeth Leach delivers an endearing performance on how kids deal with loss differently than adults. The chemistry between Sy, Nancy and Lisa build this incredible connection that helps them get through this painful episode in their lives.

The film was shot in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and the Boise area where the filmmaker calls home. One of the key locations of the story takes place in a cemetery. You might think that it is a strange place for some of the scenes. It makes perfect sense. Remember the magpies and how they surround their departed friend? One magpie will fly away and return with pine needles to lay around the body. Once they pay their last respects, each one takes its turn flying away. It's a powerful metaphor throughout the film.

'Magpie Funeral' is about overcoming loss and pursuing your dreams. It is okay if you don't achieve that precise goal. The key takeaway is enjoying the journey along the way. Green is achieving his goal with 'Magpie Funeral.'

Magpie Funeral was a pleasure to watch. From the opening scene to the final scene, it captivated my attention and gave me many reasons to smile. It tells the story of the creation of a story, how that story can be adapted into multiple mediums, and how the entire process integrates with life's ups, downs, and challenges. This is a story about love, loss, hope, creative drive, and achieving your dreams. If you're looking for something heartwarming, please give Magpie Funeral a watch.

Sy, our main protagonist, a creative TV news professional, is submitting screenplays, typed using a typewriter, to prestigious film agencies while also suffering from a bad case of writer's block when trying to write new scripts. The writer's block is showcased in a very creative, meta, and hilarious way in the opening scene. Very early on in the film, Sy is burdened with the death of a loved one. In the cemetery, Sy meets Nancy and her daughter Lisa, who are also grieving the recent loss of a loved one. They make a connection when looking at birds, and Sy mentions that magpies have funerals. That tidbit of knowledge becomes inspirational to Nancy, who is also a creative writer. What else do Sy and Nancy have in common? If you're intrigued, I'd highly recommend this film, but I don't want to spoil any plot details that happen beyond the first act of the movie.

From this film I learned that magpies do indeed have funerals. As an animal lover, I always love learning about the beautiful intricacies of animals and how their emotions and rituals are more humanlike than commonly thought. The graveyard scenes with the closeups of birds, dialog between Sy and Nancy, cheerful lighting, and perfectly cued emotional music gave me chills. After learning from Sy what a magpie funeral consists of, I noticed that in the previous scene, which was of the interment portion of a human funeral, the recessional played out exactly how a magpie funeral would also conclude. This is the kind of detail that I can tell is a deliberate choice by the filmmaker, and I relished in the joy of making this metaphorical connection since it dovetails so well with the film's themes and messages.

Beyond the above-mentioned characters, there are quite a few zany people in Magpie Funeral. From Sy's bitterly antagonistic boss/landlord, Nancy's gruff and brash agent, and a wacky lady who plays an even wackier pirate character on Sy's ultra cheesy TV show at his news channel, there's a vast variety. The character performances are well portrayed without being too silly. I recognized two actors in this movie, including Jodi Russell, who I've seen in a couple of other films.

My critiques are quite minor, and don't detract from the enjoyment of the movie. Some visuals were obviously done in post-production, such as engraved letters on a tombstone. I have done some film production and editing myself, so I notice things like that, but realistically I wouldn't think that most viewers would be cognizant of something like that. When a character gets pooped on by a bird, the poop is a bit too thick to be believable and plays an exaggerated sound effect that would feel less out of place if this were an animated movie. The bird poop scene still gave me a good laugh though. Other than those small gripes, I can't really think of anything that wasn't stellar in Magpie Funeral. It truly is a labor of love.

As a movie that's largely about the creation of movies, during and after my viewing of Magpie Funeral, I thought about the relevancy of this film being released in 2023. We're currently in the midst of a seemingly never-ending writer and actor strike in the film and TV industries. The reasons behind the strike are intertwined with both financial uncertainties and creative turmoil as artificial intelligence gets more and more advanced and changes how the entire world functions. Magpie Funeral is proof that AI is nowhere near being remotely close to taking over the jobs of screenwriters, directors, actors, and other important film professionals. This movie was obviously written by a human with a heartbeat, and not an AI platform. A film like this could only be created by a group of humans. If you give it a viewing, you'll see what I mean. This film is inherently human just like how a funeral is inherently magpie.

Magpie Funeral draws you in with appealing characters who grapple with life and death issues, yet the tone of the film is far from maudlin. A study in the power of friendship and perseverance, the three lead actors, Darren Burrows, Meredith Shank, and Elizabeth Leach give stellar performances. It is heartwarming to see Darren Burrows who portrays the main character of Sy so well, and keep an eye on young Elizabeth Leach, who stole my heart. The soundtrack is particularly moving, and the cinematography is very creative. This film is thought provoking and at times humorous and a great choice for family entertainment!

I am not a writer or in the film industry. Admittedly I chose this film when I learned Darren was in it. I was/am a huge Northern Exposure film and in 2025 some of the actors gathered for a weekly episode. My interest in those actors drove me to seek more recent work and voila - found this little gem. I love the film. No CGI, no superheroes, no childish themes, and conversely nothing offensive to gentle souls. The acting is strong, amusing when it should be, and warm throughout. The story is original and thoughtfully written. I took me a few minutes to catch on at the beginning but that speaks more to my short attention span. You will miss so many nuances if you multitask. Even though so many films allow that process. The way that death, grief, nature, etc. Were handled was heartfelt without being cliche. One other note.... I watched it before I read the reviews. That is what prompted me to write one of my own. I noticed that many, many people (or maybe a handful of lazy nuts) placed a downward thumb on all of the reviews. Taking the time to do that without writing a review, and there are no negative reviews, speaks volumes about you and your lack of ability to communicate with other humans. I assume you are the same ones who rated the film with 1, 2, 3, etc. Stars.

I absolutely loved this movie so much that I watched it twice. Wonderful and beautifully written story that inspires each and every one of us to follow our dreams. The movie starts out a little bit slow but builds up considerably leaving you with the that endearing sense of hope within all of us about life itself and the journey along the way.

Spectacular cast and the combination of artistic talent and passion will leave you with a feeling of joy and wonder. Darren Burrows delivers an amazing performance and the writing is outstanding and very original. Would love to see more movies like this.

I wish I could say more about the movie without giving anything away but you will be happy after seeing it.

Ten stars and a must see !