Broken Bird

Saturday June 7th, 4:00 pm

United Kingdom, 2024, 96 minutes
Language: English

Director: Joanne Mitchell

Writers: Dominic Brunt, Tracey Sheals, Joanne Mitchell

Producers: Paul Kampf, Emily, Cullum, Holly Levow, Dragan Ivanovic, Mark Pennell, Zoe Stewart

Cast: Rebecca Calder, James Fleet, Sacharissa Claxton, Jay Taylor, Paul Kampf

Synopsis

The dark psychological drama/thriller Broken Bird follows two concurrent but contrasting stories: Sybil’s and Emma’s. Sybil (Rebecca Calder) is prim and proper, quiet and eccentric – her demeanor is unsettling but sort of charming. She has an affinity for taxidermy and poetry and often finds herself swept up in dramatic fantasies. Sybil finds work at the mortuary with Mr. Thomas as his assistant. Visiting the Roman funerary exhibit at the museum she meets Adam – and develops an obsessive fantasy for him. From there things start to take a morbid turn. Emma (Saccharissa Claxton) is a police investigator coping with the loss of her son. Struggling with alcohol addiction and haunted by constant flashbacks of her last moments with her son, Emma takes some time away from work only to dive deep into searching for answers. With incredible performances from Rebecca Calder and the rest of the cast, the film starts almost as a dark comedy but descends into delusion and madness. Broken Bird gracefully and unnervingly takes its time unfolding each character’s story of grief and loneliness, and how that can shape a person for better or for worse.

Press Quotes

“Unlike many horror films, Broken Bird doesn’t aim to gross you out. It asks for your empathy and to consider how difficult it is letting go and being alone in such a cold world.” Maria, Lattila, Film Stories

“The two stories come to a head in a wild third act. There are shocking reveals, beatings, kidnappings, and lots of corpses. It is a lot to take in, including some things that even the movie seems to forget about. But it is an overall creepy watch.” Nathaniel Muir, AIPT

“Rebecca Calder is mesmerising and memorable in the starring role, the visuals are stunning, the plot is both satisfying and unique, and the ending is one of the most memorable, cold and chilling of this year’s horror releases thus far.” Rebecca Johson, Film Focus Online