Strong cast keeps family drama ‘Blackbird’ in flight

Published 8:00 am Thursday, September 10, 2020

“Blackbird” is the kind of film that in the wrong hands could have gone horribly wrong – a family drama with subject matter you usually see as the plot of a movie on the Hallmark channel.

Fortunately, it works thanks to a strong cast – headlined by Susan Sarandon’s best work in recent memory. Sarandon and the rest of the cast bring a natural tenderness that really packs an emotional punch.

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In “Blackbird,” Sarandon plays Lily, a woman battling ALS who has decided she’s ready to end the fight on her terms. Before this happens, Lily and her husband, Paul (Sam Neill), decide to bring the family together for one more weekend at their beach house – to celebrate Lily’s life and give everyone a chance to say goodbye.

The group that convenes includes their two daughters Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska), Anna’s partner Chris (Bex Taylor-Klaus), Jennifer’s husband, Michael (Rainn Wilson), and their son Jonathan (Anson Boon) and Lily’s longtime friend Liz (Lindsay Duncan).

The weekend of celebration evolves into something more, with some attempting to repair old relationships while others bring new complications.

“Blackbird” is a remake of the 2014 Danish film “Silent Heart.” “Blackbird” has the feel of a European cinema, with a deliberate, low-key pacing by director Roger Mitchell that allows the audience to settle in and get to know these people in the short time we are with them – the film is a surprisingly brisk 97 minutes.

The pacing at times feels more like a play than a film, but it doesn’t take away from how good this cast is with this material.

Everyone gets their moment, with Neill and Wasikowska faring the best among the supporting cast. Boon may be the biggest surprise by holding his own with this talented cast.

But it’s Sarandon who does the most heavy lifting as the matriarch at the emotional center of all the proceedings. She watches over everything with a soft-spoken forcefulness that really resonates.

Even when Christian Torpe’s screenplay starts to add a few too many plot threads, Sarandon is there to reel it back in and give “Blackbird” the dramatic stability it needs. Her performance is enough to make the film worth your time, but fortunately “Blackbird” proves to be more than just a one-woman show.

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet

Directed by: Roger Mitchell

Rating: R for language, some drug use and brief sexual material

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green 12 (limited engagement Monday and Tuesday. Available on video on demand Sept. 18)

Grade: B