Broken Bird (2024)

Broken Bird is the debut feature film from Director Joanne Mitchell and this film blew my expectations out of the water. Broken Bird will also open the 25th edition of London’s FrightFest, and I strongly believe that this is a perfect opening film. It will set the tone for the rest of the festival.

Broken Bird follows the character of Sybil who is portrayed by Rebecca Calder. Sybil is an incredibly fascinating character, and it is Calder’s memorable performance that truly helps Sybil transform from an interesting character concept, to a three dimensional person with her own motivations and drivers. Calder’s performance is deliciously unhinged, and definitely falls under the category of the Monstrous Femme, as the story unfolds. On my watch of the film, I had a feeling that the character of Sybil is potentially Neurodivergent coded, and in a year of ND coded femme protagonists in horror (Lee Harker in Longlegs comes to mind), this could possibly be hinting at a unique moment in the cultural zeitgeist.

I can definitely imagine some views potentially taking issue with a ND coded character being a protagonist in such a transgressive film, but in the same way that I want to see Queer characters of all kinds on screen, I think having potentially ND characters who are not cookie cutter perfect, is actually a good thing, as it feels like actual representation. Though admittedly, this is just my reading of Sybil, nothing is textually confirmed.

Mitchell does a terrific job as a director in creating tension throughout, and it is never knowing what the character of Sybil will do next which makes the tension feel palpable. There are numerous scenes throughout where you almost wish to crawl out of your skin because of the awkward tension reaching out from the screen. However, the film is also very playful with the audience and will often cut the tension with an unexpected moment of humour that catches you off guard. There was one such moment in the film when Sybil is imagining something she wishes would happen (a common occurrence for her character throughout), and that was the moment when film truly won me over and had my full undivided attention.

Broken Bird is one of those films that I would recommend people go into blind, knowing as little as possible about the plot beats, as this will really help to deliver a satisfying experience, as you see the narrative threads get pulled together. That being said, I will let you know that Joanne Mitchell has created a film which embraces transgressive storytelling. There are certain taboo topics which very few films touch on, and Broken Bird deftly pirouettes into the taboo territory that this film revolves around.

Broken Bird will come to UK cinemas on 30th August, Irish theatrical release yet to be announced.

You can watch the trailer here: Broken Bird Trailer

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