The 'Seinfeld' and 'Veep' legend stars opposite Death in the form of a CGI parrot (sure!) D eath takes many forms. This most feared and enduring character has been depicted as a chess ace ( The Seventh Seal ), Brad Pitt ( Meet Joe Black ) and even an animated wolf (the less than bone-chilling Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ). But a talking parrot who just needs a friend? Now that’s bound to ruffle some feathers.
Indeed, this wildly original debut feature from Croatian writer-director Daina O. Pusić has ‘divisive’ written all over it. The film takes on a dream logic that’s unlike anything else you’ll see this year, with an often masterly central performance from Seinfeld superstar Julia Louis-Dreyfus and immersive special effects rarely seen in arthouse cinema.
Unfortunately, its intriguing conceit is also hampered by comatose chemistry, a claustrophobic setting and a slew of dead one-liners. Louis-Dreyfus plays the nervy Zora, whose daughter, Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), is all but bed-bound by a terminal illness. Zora claims to cut and run from their comfortable home every day to attend her high-flying job, but in fact roams around London in a doomed attempt to distract herself from the inevitable, leaving Tuesday in the care of deadpan nurse Billie (an underused Leah Harvey).
The film’s opening scenes depict an impressively rendered CGI macaw visiting frightened people in their final moments; it’s not long before he’s flapped down to poke his crooked beak in Tu.