Rating: 4/5
Death is a parrot. In their eye is the world we know. In their head are the endless cries of those next to die — those asking for death’s release and those begging for one moment more. Death’s feathers are filthy after ages of going from person to person, unstopping as the voices are unstopping.
Tuesday is a 15-year-old girl living in London with her mother, Zora, and her nurse, Billie. Tuesday has a terminal illness — breathing is difficult and painful, so she has learned how to meditate on it and breathe through the pain. Zora has not worked in some time. For money, she sells paintings, furniture, and assorted tchotchkes — when we meet her, she is pawning a collection of papal-themed taxidermic mice.
Death comes to Tuesday, so Tuesday does what she thinks she should — she tells them a joke. Death laughs, at least to the degree a parrot can laugh. Tuesday notices that Death has glue on their talons, making walking difficult. So, Tuesday offers to run them a bath. When Death feels overwhelmed with the voices of those crying out to them, Tuesday walks them through a breathing exercise.
So, when Tuesday asks for a moment to say goodbye to her mother, who isn’t home — unbeknownst to Tuesday, Zora has fallen asleep on a park bench after eating a few mini Babybel cheeses — Death grants her the time. Little does Death know just how in denial Zora is regarding Death’s existence.
This movie takes some big swings. I don’t appreciate swings for their own sake, as they are often empty of motivation beyond shock or confusion. Here, the risks connect with the film’s core, which explores grief in all its stages.
And it works! Sort of.
As you may see from reviews, this isn’t the consensus. Like all risky movies, not all audiences will buy into the premise or choices made.
The reason the movie worked for me is because of Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She embodies her complicated and flawed character. So, for what missteps the movie makes, the impactful moments hit hard and honestly. She has lines that ring true because they are things I have said in my moments of grief.
If you’re on the fence, save this one for streaming. But this was a moving and emotional experience for me, so I was thankful to see this in a theater where I could feel it most.