Benedict Cumberbatch is terrific in The Factor With Feathers – a drama about grief that sometimes dips its toe into horror.
PLOT: After the sudden dying of his spouse, a grieving father (Benedict Cumberbatch) begins to imagine {that a} large black crow is menacing him and his two sons.
REVIEW: The Factor With Feathers provides star Benedict Cumberbatch yet one more spectacular showcase, with him riveting as a father collapsing underneath the load of uncontrollable grief. It’s his first main movie since The Energy of the Canine. It’s a heavy watch however is an fascinating counterpoint to latest mother-focused parental dramas similar to Nightbitch and If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You (which I additionally noticed at this 12 months’s Sundance), because it tackles the load of parenthood from the daddy’s perspective, and in addition makes use of a surreal twist. Whereas Cumberbatch’s unnamed father by no means thinks he’s turning right into a canine, like Amy Adams in Nightbitch, he does begin to imagine he’s being haunted by an enormous, human-sized crow voiced by David Thewlis.
Based mostly on the graphic novel “Grief Is the Thing with Feathers,” writer-director Dylan Southern (Shut Up and Play the Hits – a well-received doc about LCD Soundsystem) performs with genres, with this taking part in (considerably) within the horror wheelhouse, with Cumberbatch’s emotional demons turning into a actuality. Cumberbatch is unbelievable because the heartbroken father, completely evoking a person who can not even fathom easy methods to transfer on in his life. Whereas he loves his two youngsters (performed by siblings Richard and Henry Boxall), he’s additionally overwhelmed by their very own expertise with grief, with one sibling appearing out and the opposite turning into needier. Quickly, the crow that haunts Cumberbatch, who comes proper out of the graphic novel he’s illustrating, begins infecting the entire household.
But, The Factor With Feathers ultimately begins to put on a little bit skinny, with the hopelessness of Cumberbatch’s grief and the entire lack of levity making the film come off as a contact oppressive. Sporting an austere 1:33:1 facet ratio, The Factor With Feathers ultimately begins to dip its toed increasingly more into the horror style, with the surreal facet of our unnamed protagonist’s life being given increasingly more weight because the movie goes on.
Whereas Cumberbatch’s present, the film can’t assist however be stolen considerably by Thewlis’s crow, who principally appears sinister but additionally has some compassion. Given the low funds, the crow isn’t depicted with CGI however slightly by an individual in an elaborate go well with, and this low-tech take works properly, because it offers Cumberbatch and the children one thing tangible to play off of. It’s additionally elegantly shot by Ben Fordesman, and the style facets would possibly make this considerably extra marketable than an easy indie drama.
I need to admit that I might need loved The Factor With Feathers extra had I seen it outdoors of a movie competition setting. It’s a film that calls for a sure emotional stamina, and after seeing a big choice of mentally wrenching movies, The Factor With Feathers was virtually an excessive amount of of a downer to soak up. Even nonetheless, on a technical degree, the movie is impeccable (even when it feels a little bit lengthy at over 100 minutes) whereas Cumberbatch is at his perfect.
