A surreal exploration of grief through the strange comfort of a talking crow.
When a father and his two young sons unexpectedly lose their matriarch, grief – personified by an anthropomorphic crow – casts a long shadow over their home.
This film leans heavily on Benedict Cumberbatch, who delivers a quietly devastating performance as a man adrift in the loneliness of loss. The highs and lows of his emotions – apology, anger, tears – feel lived in. We believe this man is suffering. We feel for him. Yet even Cumberbatch can’t quite outshine Crow, death’s symbolic sidekick.
The duality of Eric Lampaert, who puppeteers Crow, and David Thewlis’s chilling vocals work in perfect synchrony to bring the creature to life. These moments of magical realism are evocative and convincing, allowing us to buy into the father and his boys’ strange relationship with Crow – who they talk to, blame, and eventually depend on. The comings and goings of the creature are sometimes uneven, but forgivable, as it brings colour and unpredictability to what could otherwise have been a familiar grief narrative.
Adapted from a novella of the same name, The Thing With Feather’s occasionally feels stretched to fill the qualifying runtime for a feature film. Yet, it’s an exciting foray for British cinema that often frolics safely in the sand of period, police and spy drama’s.
When the dust settles, this is still a movie about grief. But unlike We Live In Time, it doesn’t force an emotional connection on its audience. Instead, it allows us to travel organically through the stages of grief and reminds us that even in our worst moments, we are never alone.
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