BLACKBIRD
****
Director: Roger Michell
Screenplay: Christian Torpe, based on his screenplay for Silent Heart.
Principal cast:
Susan Sarandon
Sam Neill
Kate Winslet
Mia Wasikowska
Lindsay Duncan
Rainn Wilson
Country: USA/UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 97 mins.
Australian release date: 25 February 2021.
Blackbird, directed by Roger Michell, is Danish screenwriter Christian Torpe’s English-language version of the 2014 Bille August film, Silent Heart, which Torpe also wrote. Utilising the skills of a stellar cast of eight, the film reveals the conflicts that arise within a family when the terminally ill mother organises a final get-together before planning to take her own life. Her decision raises many concerns, not just about her impending euthanasia, but also undeclared and unresolved emotional matters between her two daughters and, indeed, between them and her. The gang of eight, plus the director, were so affected by their experience making the film (which they shot in an isolated location, living in close proximity to one another, thus creating a sort-of hothouse environment), that they all got ‘inked’ at the end of the shoot. It was a small tattoo of… what else? A blackbird.
Lily (Susan Sarandon) is suffering from a disease that is slowly robbing her of her mobility and independence, so she has decided to take responsibility for her demise while still physically capable of acting on her decision. Her husband Paul (Sam Neill) is a doctor who is fully aware of her declining state and her resolve to end it all. They arrange a last ‘Christmas’ gathering with their two daughters and their partners, plus Lily’s life-long gal-pal, Elisabeth (Lindsay Duncan), at their beautiful two-storey home on the coast. As they gather, we are made aware of each characters’ different personalities and personal idiosyncrasies: fussy Jennifer (Kate Winslet) arrives with her pedantic husband Michael (Rainn Wilson) and their son Jonathan (Anson Boon). She is interfering and stitched-up, a woman who disapproves of pretty much everything and everyone. Her more rebellious but damaged younger sister, Anna (Mia Wasikowska), turns up with her on again/off again lesbian partner Chris (Bex Taylor-Klaus), who gets on well with most of the other members of the family. As the weekend wears on, past secrets are revealed and the situation reaches a volatile crescendo as everyone vents their pent-up emotions before parting. In the midst of the chaos, Lily’s choice is questioned again by those who’d previously agreed with her decision and her right to life comes under intense scrutiny once more.
Michell usually makes lighter fare than this; his last work before was the delightful documentary Tea With The Dames. Blackbird is a confronting film for a number of reasons, questions around the pros and cons of euthanasia being at the forefront. It also brings up the trauma many people face when they have to deal with emotions and mental issues that have never been discussed and how individuals often hide the truth from one another. ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’, as the old adage goes, but often in families it also breeds unwitting ignorance. People think they know each other without actually ever bothering to ask if their presumptions are correct. Blackbird shows how if parents and siblings actually took the time to talk, without judging, their relationships would be more honest… and probably more loving.
The cast is exemplary. Sarandon shows grace and courage that is both heart-breaking and uplifting. Her Lily is a feisty character, a woman who came of age in the hippy era and who is still quite prepared to shock those around her. Neill’s role is a bit too subdued and feels underwritten, so we don’t really get to know him or how he feels about his daughters. We know he’s supportive of Lily’s resolution but not much else. This is a fault of Torpe’s screenplay, not a comment on the Kiwi actor’s abilities. Winslet is almost unrecognisable as the brown-haired, bespectacled Jennifer, who’s unrelenting in her desire to tidy up any perceived mess, emotional or otherwise, and constantly trying to organise not only her mother but all the other members of her family - especially her sister, with whom she maintains an on-going war. Wasikowska’s Anna is carrying a lot of baggage and the Australian thesp brings her roaring to full-throttle life. Duncan delivers a capable, if somewhat subdued, performance in her role as keeper of the memories of the past. Credit must also be given to the more minor roles played by Boon and the gender non-binary Taylor-Klaus, whose characters offer hope for the future. Peter Gregson’s score is overly maudlin at times but Kristina Hetherington’s fine editing is perfectly paced.
Michell made the unusual decision to shoot almost chronologically, something that helped bring the actors (and the story) together. “That had an even bigger impact than I thought it would have on the cast’s focus and commitment to the film and each other,” he says. As a result, Blackbird is a confronting film but not a depressing one. It depicts a situation that may well occur in some of our lives (voluntary assisted dying is legal in Victoria and will become so in WA later in 2021). It shows that this is an issue that can be messy or, in a certain way, quite beautiful. Rather like life itself.
Screenplay: Christian Torpe, based on his screenplay for Silent Heart.
Principal cast:
Susan Sarandon
Sam Neill
Kate Winslet
Mia Wasikowska
Lindsay Duncan
Rainn Wilson
Country: USA/UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 97 mins.
Australian release date: 25 February 2021.
Blackbird, directed by Roger Michell, is Danish screenwriter Christian Torpe’s English-language version of the 2014 Bille August film, Silent Heart, which Torpe also wrote. Utilising the skills of a stellar cast of eight, the film reveals the conflicts that arise within a family when the terminally ill mother organises a final get-together before planning to take her own life. Her decision raises many concerns, not just about her impending euthanasia, but also undeclared and unresolved emotional matters between her two daughters and, indeed, between them and her. The gang of eight, plus the director, were so affected by their experience making the film (which they shot in an isolated location, living in close proximity to one another, thus creating a sort-of hothouse environment), that they all got ‘inked’ at the end of the shoot. It was a small tattoo of… what else? A blackbird.
Lily (Susan Sarandon) is suffering from a disease that is slowly robbing her of her mobility and independence, so she has decided to take responsibility for her demise while still physically capable of acting on her decision. Her husband Paul (Sam Neill) is a doctor who is fully aware of her declining state and her resolve to end it all. They arrange a last ‘Christmas’ gathering with their two daughters and their partners, plus Lily’s life-long gal-pal, Elisabeth (Lindsay Duncan), at their beautiful two-storey home on the coast. As they gather, we are made aware of each characters’ different personalities and personal idiosyncrasies: fussy Jennifer (Kate Winslet) arrives with her pedantic husband Michael (Rainn Wilson) and their son Jonathan (Anson Boon). She is interfering and stitched-up, a woman who disapproves of pretty much everything and everyone. Her more rebellious but damaged younger sister, Anna (Mia Wasikowska), turns up with her on again/off again lesbian partner Chris (Bex Taylor-Klaus), who gets on well with most of the other members of the family. As the weekend wears on, past secrets are revealed and the situation reaches a volatile crescendo as everyone vents their pent-up emotions before parting. In the midst of the chaos, Lily’s choice is questioned again by those who’d previously agreed with her decision and her right to life comes under intense scrutiny once more.
Michell usually makes lighter fare than this; his last work before was the delightful documentary Tea With The Dames. Blackbird is a confronting film for a number of reasons, questions around the pros and cons of euthanasia being at the forefront. It also brings up the trauma many people face when they have to deal with emotions and mental issues that have never been discussed and how individuals often hide the truth from one another. ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’, as the old adage goes, but often in families it also breeds unwitting ignorance. People think they know each other without actually ever bothering to ask if their presumptions are correct. Blackbird shows how if parents and siblings actually took the time to talk, without judging, their relationships would be more honest… and probably more loving.
The cast is exemplary. Sarandon shows grace and courage that is both heart-breaking and uplifting. Her Lily is a feisty character, a woman who came of age in the hippy era and who is still quite prepared to shock those around her. Neill’s role is a bit too subdued and feels underwritten, so we don’t really get to know him or how he feels about his daughters. We know he’s supportive of Lily’s resolution but not much else. This is a fault of Torpe’s screenplay, not a comment on the Kiwi actor’s abilities. Winslet is almost unrecognisable as the brown-haired, bespectacled Jennifer, who’s unrelenting in her desire to tidy up any perceived mess, emotional or otherwise, and constantly trying to organise not only her mother but all the other members of her family - especially her sister, with whom she maintains an on-going war. Wasikowska’s Anna is carrying a lot of baggage and the Australian thesp brings her roaring to full-throttle life. Duncan delivers a capable, if somewhat subdued, performance in her role as keeper of the memories of the past. Credit must also be given to the more minor roles played by Boon and the gender non-binary Taylor-Klaus, whose characters offer hope for the future. Peter Gregson’s score is overly maudlin at times but Kristina Hetherington’s fine editing is perfectly paced.
Michell made the unusual decision to shoot almost chronologically, something that helped bring the actors (and the story) together. “That had an even bigger impact than I thought it would have on the cast’s focus and commitment to the film and each other,” he says. As a result, Blackbird is a confronting film but not a depressing one. It depicts a situation that may well occur in some of our lives (voluntary assisted dying is legal in Victoria and will become so in WA later in 2021). It shows that this is an issue that can be messy or, in a certain way, quite beautiful. Rather like life itself.