“Broken Bird” follows a lonely mortician’s assistant who begins to unravel after inheriting a funeral home.
A Strange and Stylized Descent
From the start, “Broken Bird” commits to its bizarre tone by making choices that most other movies don’t. The film splits focus between multiple individuals with minimal precursors. It puts the audience inside the minds of characters by interweaving “daydream”-esque sequences. It shifts between contrasting warm and soft color palettes during specific character segments. The camera lingers on what is seemingly “nothingness.”
This all works because of director Joanne Mitchell’s distinct style. There’s not a clear sense of an “end goal” in the early stages — but the introduction of themes is there.
Dark Humor Meets Grief
“Broken Bird” is a horror movie about grief and the trauma that comes from it. How original… right? In this case, it is. Rather than providing a surface-level exploration, the movie attempts to tackle the complexities of the topic. In the process, it examines how individuals process and cope with the loss of loved ones.
Also unlike most other genre entries, “Broken Bird” generates most of its discomfort through dark humor. As the narrative gradually grows weirder, so does the comedy. Emily Rice’s score plays a part in this, being at times upbeat and quirky — often providing a stark contrast to strange onscreen visuals. It also comes from Rebecca Calder’s (Sybil) performance. Calder manages to pull off the bizarre time and time again, with equally exaggerated delivery and mannerisms.
There’s no laugh-out-loud humor within “Broken Bird.” However… there is a sense of “laughing through the uncomfortable” funniness.
Calder isn’t only offbeat, though. On top of the awkwardness, she’s also downright haunting in moments. It’s a performance that is full of range.
Sacharissa Claxton (Emma), James Fleat, Jay Taylor (Mark) and Robyn Rainsford round out the supporting cast.
A Slow Burn That Tests Patience
While the performances are serviceable, it’s these side characters that end up highlighting one of the film’s biggest flaws. Outside of Sybil, everyone else is underdeveloped. “Broken Bird” doesn’t spend enough time with the supporting cast to make their roles memorable. It falls particularly flat in its dual-narrative approach, showing the paths of Sybil and Emma ever so slowly converging. While it ends with a “bang,” the journey to get there is somewhat messy. Every time the film steps away from Sybil’s story, it comes across as jarring because of the lack of development elsewhere.
Even as the plot nears its conclusion, there’s still seemingly little tie-in. But… it does come.
For general horror viewers, this will likely be a different experience than you’re used to. “Broken Bird” is incredibly sinister — but not in the typical ways of mainstream genre entries. It gradually builds tension, unleashing detail by detail along the way. This all culminates in an ending that finally takes the “leap,” proving to be unnerving in the process.
While the payoff is there, the slow-burn approach can certainly be felt. Especially as the focus shifts between characters, various portions of the film feel out of place (and even pointless). “Broken Bird” is undoubtedly a test of patience, waiting until the very final moments to fully unveil all its cards. It’s a creative choice that is bound to frustrate many.
“Broken Bird” isn’t always easy to stomach. It’s intentionally disconnected and meandering; until it’s not. The film’s themes are fulfilled in dark ways that will leave viewers laughing and wincing, but most of all uncomfortable.
Rating: 3 out of 5
