The Thing with Feathers – REVIEW

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The story centers around a grieving widower and his two sons, who are haunted by a large crow representing grief itself. This crow isn’t simply a playful presence; it actively torments the family as they navigate their loss. The narrative is based on Max Porter’s novella, ‘Grief is the Thing With Feathers,’ a challenging read due to its fragmented and unconventional structure, which also makes it difficult to translate into a film.

The story centers around a father, whose name we never learn, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s grappling with the loss of his wife and struggling to raise his two young sons. His wife had always been the primary caregiver, and now he’s overwhelmed, made even worse by haunting visions of a giant crow, voiced by David Thewlis. This crow torments and mocks him, pushing him to the brink as he tries to manage single parenthood and his career as an illustrator.

The film, divided into four sections – Dad, Boys, Crow, and Demon – primarily focuses on the father’s journey through grief. It depicts familiar struggles like difficulty with everyday tasks, sudden anger, and frustration with his children. A mysterious crow adds to his torment, but its motives and meaning remain unclear.

This film shares some similarities with The Babadook (even referencing it through a book the father reads to his sons), and features a strong performance from Cumberbatch that powerfully portrays the experience of grief. However, The Thing with Feathers struggles to find its focus, wavering between being a horror film and a drama.

Here’s the trailer for The Thing with Feathers…….

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2025-11-05 03:23