Broken Bird - FrightFest World Premiere Review
Director: Joanne Mitchell
Starring: Rebecca Calder, James Fleet, Sacharissa Claxton, Jay Taylor
Written by: Dominic Brunt
Produced by: Dragan Ivanovic, Paul Kampf, Holly Levow, Mark Pennell, Zoe Stewart
Cinematography by: Igor Marovic
Original Score by: Emily Rice
Synopsis:
Sybil works at an undertakers. It's a lonely job, with few perks. So she takes solace where she can.
Thoughts:
A psychological thriller exploring paranoia and past trauma 'Broken Bird' somehow still manages to squeeze in a little bit of dark humour in the wake of some of the horrible things that occur.
Rebecca Calder stars as Sybil, a demure mortician's assistant who enjoys the local open mic poetry sessions at the local pub just as much as opening up bodies. We're immediately drawn to her by her unique intricateness. Clearly a character with complexity and a fair amount of weirdness too. We don't quite know her story just yet, but as the film progresses her past is slowly peeled back and we begin to understand what's really going on.
She has just been hired as the new assistant to James Fleet's character, an elderly man who has recently lost his wife. The two instantly bond and Sybil's work doesn't go unnoticed. As much of a companion as a work colleague, Sybil is being groomed to take over the business but the consequences from her wild life choices get in the way.
Rebecca Calder is phenomenal as Sybil, the "broken bird" in question. She plays the part with vulnerability and quirkyness but can also be spikey when she wants to be. She doesn't take a back seat to anyone and knows what it means to look out for herself. The only issue here is that her idea of self-love is very different from a "normal" persons idea. No, Sybil definitely isn't normal. But weirdly I was still kinda rooting for her, at least up until the finale. A testament to the writing and of course the acting. Calder sucks you in with her performance and the fact that she does the things she does with childlike normality is strangely endearing.
She's not quite as mad as Alex DeLarge from 'A Clockwork Orange' but there's a smidgen of his eccentricity alive and well in her and maybe even a little bit of Annie Wilkes' delusion too. She just does a better job of covering it up and appearing sweet.
Based on her own (and Tracey Sheals) short film from 2018, Director Joanne Mitchell creates a playfully, twisted quasi horror film with lovely production design and a strong script from fellow 'Emmerdale' alumni (and husband) Dominic Brunt. Both are no strangers to horror and FrightFest, as their previous film 'Wolf Manor' had it's World Premiere in 2022. But this one is definitely more subtle in how it explores different psychological themes and character traits affiliated with previous trauma and Mitchell does a great job at presenting that here.
Filled with gorgeous images, unexpected giggles and a beautifully crafted musical score 'Broken Bird' is a delightful, yet disturbing, exploration into the mind of a tragically broken human being.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
-Gavin Logan
'Broken Bird' received it World Premiere at FrightFest '24 on August 22nd and will release in UK Cinemas on August 30th
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