Unveiling ‘The Thing With Feathers’: A Captivating Film Review from Eye For Film

Making a film about depression is tough. It’s one thing to show someone feeling sad on a couch, but it’s another to create a story that truly captures the depth of those feelings. Dylan Southern’s film, The Thing With Feathers, tries to tackle this challenge through a lens of psychological horror.

This film tells the story of a father, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is deep in grief after losing his wife. As he navigates single parenthood, he drowns his sorrows in alcohol. To make things even stranger, he is haunted by a giant crow-like creature.

The movie is based on Max Porter’s novella, which is inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem about hope. The crow, with its dark feathers and imposing presence, plays a critical role. It mocks the father, calling him names like “sad dad” and “English widower,” reflecting his feelings of despair.

As a graphic novelist, the father channels his pain into his art, creating dark images of the crow. This artwork becomes a way for him to cope with his grief and feelings of inadequacy in raising his two sons, Richard and Henry. In the novella, he wrote about Ted Hughes, a poet known for his crow poems, but the film focuses more on his illustrations as a window into his troubled mind.

The film is divided into sections using titles from the book, focusing on the father, the boys, and the crow. However, these divisions don’t provide the change in perspective that they suggest. You get glimpses into the characters, but not enough to bring clarity or depth. There are moments of horror, like a creepy grocery store scene, but they don’t add much momentum to the overall story.

On one hand, the film’s attempts to convey its themes sometimes feel stagnant. You might think, “They’re trying so hard because it’s not working.” Yet, watching Cumberbatch gives you a different perspective. His performance is powerful, full of emotion that resonates in his expressions. You can’t help but wonder, “With acting this strong, why isn’t the film better?”

Ultimately, the film struggles to clarify the crow’s relationship with the father and his sons. While mystery can be engaging, here it feels too vague. The viewers are left with questions that don’t develop into a satisfying narrative. Instead, it feels like a metaphor searching for meaning.

Reviewed on: 27 Feb 2025