Review: ‘Blackbird’
“The trick is you just show up and you give life your best shot,” is the advice that Susan Sarandon’s Lily gives her grandson just days before she plans to end her life. This isn’t a spoiler as the film’s premise reveals itself very early on. ‘Blackbird,’ directed by Roger Michell, is an intimate portrayal of a family coming to terms with the end-of-life plans of their terminally ill mother/grandmother, Lily. She has chosen a day and a method to end her life so that she dies by her own hand surrounded by loved ones, rather than by the slow deterioration of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The film is an English-language remake of a 2014 Danish film, ‘Silent Heart’, that set the blueprint for this family drama. Much like Lily’s statement on how to make it through life, the film’s set of eight characters show up to come together one last time, without any guidebook, to celebrate their last few days with Lily, exactly as she would like. None of them know exactly how to handle each other and they certainly haven’t processed their feelings on Lily’s decision. Set over the course of no more than three days and with a cast of only eight, ‘Blackbird’ finds its strength by taking each scene with great care and letting the audience appreciate the little joys and feel the great sorrows alongside each character as they experience them.
Lily’s two daughters, Jennifer and Anna, are played by Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska, respectively. Jennifer is straight-laced and by-the-book, while Anna is a free spirit working through her mental health challenges. Both women must reconcile their feelings with each other and with their mother. Winslet and Wasikowska are convincing in their roles, but their relationship as sisters is never given as much attention as it deserves. This is made up for by the amount of screen time and chemistry that Sarandon has with Winslet and Wasikowska, and the rest of the cast. Sarandon exudes commanding energy that demands you bear witness to Lily’s life and to her death. Every line of dialogue she delivers is weighted with charismatic charm but backed by the morbidity of it all. This balance resembles the film’s general ability to remain humorous and tonally light while dealing with its subject matter. It’s not necessarily uplifting, but it is heart-warming.
‘Blackbird’ often feels like a play when the ensemble cast appears all together. The long takes and the punchy dialogue emphasize this feeling so as to make the viewer feel as though they are standing in the back corner of the room or at the edge of the kitchen counter, watching this family tableau unfold in real-time. The conversations are the centerpieces of this film, making you crave what might be said next. Watching eagerly to see how a character might react becomes part of the viewing experience. The dedicated performances and the well-paced script work well in tandem to pull off an otherwise “uneventful” film.
Extremely noteworthy is the masterclass of dinner scenes. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and hold your breath. It’s long and glorious and in many ways, the beating heart of the film. It’s where the audience can feel the memories, the weight of the bittersweet moment, and the overwhelming presence of a person whose time is limited. It’s cinema, plain and simple.
One of the film’s few flaws, on the other hand, is a surprising subplot that appears about two-thirds of the way in, involving Lindsay Duncan’s Liz, who is Lily’s best friend. It felt contrived and there is no payoff that warrants its appearance. The small design flaw in the story can be excused but it does prevent the film from being prestige cinema. While this moment shakes the structure of the film momentarily, ‘Blackbird’ then immediately pivots toward its climactic moment with incredible grace. The swift change was enough to remedy the rocky melodramatic moment.
Anyone who has witnessed a friend or family member suffer from a terminal illness may find their own memories reflected within the frames of ‘Blackbird’. And while the subject matter is heavy, the film never wallows in its own drama. It moves lightly, but with a gentle intensity, that seems to match the gravitas of Susan Sarandon’s performance. The theme of dying with dignity is explored with the touch of a paintbrush, providing all of the brushstrokes until the audience completely understands the pain of suffering and the value of living as you want to. As far as family dramas are concerned, no it doesn’t re-invent the genre or deliver anything truly unique, but it does render a worthwhile watch to the viewer. ‘Blackbird’ gently takes you into this family and lets you spend time with them, see their vulnerabilities, and before you know it, become a part of their family. – Louis Marchand
Rating: 4/5
Blackbird debuted at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and is now available in theaters and on-demand.