Blackbird movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Blackbird

The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and is now available now on streaming at DVD

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 37 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

Blackbird is a dramatic film by Roger Michell and presented by Screen Media, a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” entertainment company. It’s a melancholy remake of the 2014 Danish film called Silent Heart. Written by Christian Torpe, this movie is packed full with some incredible performances by Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Rainn Wilson, Sam Neill, Mia Wasikowska, and Lindsay Duncan.

It addresses the right of a terminally-ill person to decide how to die and be remembered.

“To wonderful life!”

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored. So will some adults.
Profanity and lots of F-bombs
Lesbian relationship
A scene when everyone smokes pot
Lots and lots of wine
Talk of “hookers and blow”
An “intimate” toy is given as a gift.
A man’s clothing catches on fire.

THEMES:

Love
Life and death
Suicide
Dying gracefully
Family
Friendship
Terminal illness
Saying goodbye
Free will
Being selfish
Time
Infidelity
Fear
Legality and morality of ending one’s life because of illness

THINGS I LIKED:

- Susan Sarandon gives an excellent performance. She also played a terminally ill mother who tried to prepare her children for her imminent death in Stepmom. It would be tough playing someone with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), trying to remember which body parts weren’t supposed to work in every scene. I read a review where the critic claimed she forgot in one scene, but I didn’t catch that at all.
- Wow, what a beautiful home and piece of property.
- I loved seeing Lindsay Duncan again. I thought she was absolutely luminous in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
- Beautiful cinematography by Mike Eley.
- Rainn Wilson’s fun facts were entertaining. He delivered a perfect “milk toast” personality.
- I actually liked the idea of dedicating time to just one person. In the case of this movie, it was the entire Thanksgiving long weekend, but wouldn’t it be a cool tradition to pick one day for each person in your family and do whatever they wanted to make them feel special and alive and loved?
- The gift exchange scene made me tear up.
- While there are some cliches, there was also some character development and ideas to think about.
- There were a few reveals that kept me interested.
- I actually found the blinking bow-tie that Rainn Wilson’s character wears! Check it out!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Maybe I blinked or something, but I missed why the movie was called Blackbird. There is a very small reference to Nina Simone but her song Blackbird Feat. Nina Simone isn’t even played in the movie.
Some viewers have criticized the movie for being boring with nothing happening. You have to watch the movie for the characters and their own development to appreciate it.
I laughed out loud at the sheer amount of crumbs on the kitchen table that Lindsay Duncan wiped up during one of the scenes early on in the film.
Some conversations are spoken in whispers, making it extremely difficult to hear what is being said.
The story and its telling are fairly manipulative, but how else could you approach this subject without that feeling?
The biggest problem is that the story and characters are nothing we haven’t already seen before.

FUNNY LINES:

* “So, are you going to give me some super important life advice now?” – Jonathan (Anson Boon) “Nah.” – Lily (Susan Sarandon)

“I, too, was at Woodstock…metaphorically.” – Liz (Lindsay Duncan)

“I can’t wait to see what the stores recommend for an event like this.” – Lily (Susan Sarandon)

INTERESTING LINES:

“She lies just badly enough so you know she’s lying.” – Jennifer (Kate Winslet)
“Well, you know it’s time when you have to drink your Chablis from a paper cup.” – Lily (Susan Sarandon)
“It’s so so chic to have a lesbian in the family.” – Liz (Lindsay Duncan)
“You just show up and give life your best shot, although handwritten notes and being on time don’t hurt.” – Lily (Susan Sarandon)
“I’m here now.” – Lily (Susan Sarandon)”‘
“The days go by too slowly and the years go by too fast.” – Chris (Bex Taylor-Klaus)
“Love is everything. Love is all there is.” – Lily (Susan Sarandon)

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