''Blackbird'' is a 2019 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Roger Michell Roger Harry Michell (5 June 1956 – 22 September 2021) was a British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as ''Notting Hill'' and ''Venus'', as well as the 1995 made-for-television film ''Persuasi ...

and written by Christian Torpe. It is a remake of the 2014 Danish film ''

Silent Heart ''Silent Heart'' (, Quiet heart) is a 2014 Danish drama film directed by Bille August, and starring Ghita Nørby, Morten Grunwald, Paprika Steen, and Jens Albinus. The film was nominated for the 2015 Nordic Council Film Prize. Plot A famil ...

'', also written by Torpe. It stars

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actor. With a career spanning over five decades, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...

Mia Wasikowska Mia Wasikowska ( ; born 25 October 1989) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut on the Australian television drama '' All Saints'' in 2004, followed by her feature film debut in '' Suburban Mayhem'' (2006). She first became known t ...

Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. She is the recipient of three BAFTA nominations and one Scottish BAFTA nomination, as well as two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her work on stage. She has starred in sever ...

Rainn Wilson Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of ''The Office'' from 2005 to 2013, and received t ...

Bex Taylor-Klaus Rebecca Edison "Bex" Taylor-Klaus (born August 12, 1994) is an American actor. They rose to fame for their starring role as Bullet on the crime drama series '' The Killing'' (2013). They gained further prominence with roles as Sin on the super ...

, and

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

. A family of three generations gather over a weekend to say goodbye to its matriarch Lily, who suffers from an incurable disease. With the help of her husband Paul, Lily has chosen to pursue

euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...

when the weekend is over. But as the end approaches, their mother's decision becomes more and more difficult to handle for her two daughters, and old conflicts resurface. ''Blackbird'' had its world premiere at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

on September 6, 2019. It was released on September 18, 2020, by

Screen Media Films Screen Media Ventures, LLC was an American-Canadian distribution company founded in 2001 and owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment since 2017 alongside its subsidiary Popcornflix. In 2008, Screen Media selected The Creative Coalition ...

Plot

Lily and Paul invite their three-generation family to their rural lakeside home over a weekend. Anna and her partner Chris arrive late, and it soon becomes apparent that she is estranged. Trying to connect with her sister, Jennifer helps Anna in her room, asking her why she hasn't responded to various family events. Chris has to be introduced around as everyone doesn't know her. Jennifer asks Anna about dancing, which she has quit, she then lists all the other pursuits she's quit like acupuncture, quilting and yoga which their parents have paid for. Anna also is critical of Jennifer's husband Michael, and likewise Jennifer disapproves of Anna bringing her on and off again Chris and of Lily's long-time friend Liz's presence. Everyone is there to say goodbye to Lily, who suffers from an incurable disease, and with the help of her husband Paul has chosen to pursue euthanasia when the weekend is over. In the meantime, they do crossword puzzles, play charades, etc. The next morning, the grandson Jon asks his grandfather how they will euthanise Lily. As euthanasia is illegal in the state, although in reality Paul is going to give her the lethal dose, he's going to tell them on the

911 911, 9/11 or Nine Eleven may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** The 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, commonly referred to as 9/11 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that ousted the ...

emergency phone line that she must have taken it while he was on a walk. Although Jon sees her as still okay, Paul explains that Lily is very likely go downhill fast, so she must do it while her arm still works. At breakfast, although it is summer, Lily suggests they do an early Christmas, assigning different people tasks. First, they all go for a walk, and she shows them where Jennifer was conceived, hence why she and Paul ended up buying the land and building the house there. When Anna asks, her conception story is ordinary. As her end approaches, their mother's decision becomes more and more difficult to handle for her daughters Jennifer and Anna. Anna tells Chris she is going to call 911 to prevent the procedure, who isn't too supportive of this. In the kitchen, as they're preparing the meal, Jen finds the

pentobarbital Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of insomnia but ...

. As Jon hangs the ornaments for Lily, he asks for life advice, which she attests elders are no wiser. When she presses for him to tell her his hidden desire, he admits he'd like to become an actor. Over dinner, Lily gives each of them a piece of jewelry important to her, as well as a novelty tie for Michael and a dildo for Jen. Jon's parents show how controlling they are of him, disapproving when he says he wants to be an actor, he is offered wine and Lily pulls out pot. When Lily proudly talks about each of them, after she declares she raised two strong, independent women, Anna declares they're both messed up and that she herself had been institutionalised for attempted suicide. Lily is suddenly very tired, and goes to bed. Chris pulls Jen aside, explaining Anna's suicide attempt and that she is bipolar. When she tells her Anna plans to call 911 to thwart the euthanasia, Jen confronts her sister and talks her out of it. However, downstairs Jen sees Paul and Liz embracing. She stays up all night, scouring over photo albums and realises Liz has been with them on all family trips. In the morning, although Lily wants them to have a lazy Sunday, Jen gets Anna to back her in announcing they will block the euthanasia by calling 911. Trying to get Paul or Liz to confess, Lily tells everyone it was her idea, as she doesn't want either to be lonely. Lily gets everyone on board with the procedure, but Jen and Anna insist on being with Paul at her side while she drinks the medication. Afterwards they drive off, one by one.

Cast

as Lily *

as Jennifer *

as Anna *

as Paul *

as Liz *

as Michael *

as Chris *

Anson Boon Anson Boon (born 15 February 2000) is an English actor. Early life Boon was born in Peterborough. His father is an amateur DJ, originally from a farming family, and his mother is from a working-class London family. He has a younger brother. He d ...

as Jonathan

Production

The remake was announced in July 2018, with

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...

and

cast to play members of the family.

was announced as director, with filming initially set to begin in August. Filming began in October, with Keaton replaced by

, and

and

cast in supporting roles. The beachside house used in the film is located next to Winslet's own home near

West Wittering West Wittering is a village and civil parish situated on the Manhood Peninsula in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies near the mouth of Chichester Harbour on the B2179 road southwest of Chichester close to the border with ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

, with the

South Coast of England Southern England, also known as the South of England or the South, is a sub-national part of England. Officially, it is made up of the southern, south-western and part of the eastern parts of England, consisting of the statistical regions of ...

doubling for

The Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End (Long Island), East End of Long Island, consist of the town (New York), towns of Southampton (town), New York, Southampton and East Hampton (town), New York, East Hampton, which together compose the South Fork ...

Release

The film had its world premiere at the

on September 6, 2019. In May 2020,

acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on September 18, 2020.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics. The site's critics consensus states: "Blackbird wastes its premise on shallow storytelling, though its splendid cast adds heart to a sensitive subject." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

References

External links

* {{Roger Michell 2019 films 2019 drama films American drama films American remakes of Danish films Drama film remakes Films about diseases and disorders Films about euthanasia Films about suicide Films shot in West Sussex Films directed by Roger Michell Films about families Films about sisters Films about mother–daughter relationships 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Nu Image films Screen Media films