Written and Directed by Jack Clark and Jim Weir
Starring Mackenzie Fearnley, Shabana Azeez, Ben Hunter, Jack Bannister, Clementine Anderson, Alfie Gledhill, and Harley Wilson

“The art of uncomfortable”

If I had to describe new Australian drama Birdeater in a sentence, I’d go with that. 

Its characters are visibly regularly uncomfortable. The situation they are in becomes unbearably uncomfortable. Viewers will often feel uncomfortable. All of which is very intentional.

Irene (Shabana Azeez) and Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) are soon to be wed. But Irene seems very uneasy, constantly nervous, and is seemingly dependant on medication to help relax her. In an effort to help put her mind at some ease, Louie invites her to his buck’s party, which she reluctantly accepts. There, we meet some (or maybe all) of Louie’s friends. Dylan (Ben Hunter), whom Louie is constantly at loggerheads with. Dylan also gets upset when Louie refuses to drink at his own buck’s. Very upset. Christian couple Charlie and Grace (Jack Bannister and Clementine Anderson, respectively), though Grace doesn’t realise Charlie is less Christian than she is. Murph (Alfie Gledhill), Louie’s right-hand man and celebrant. And Sam (Harley Wilson), a polyamorous bi-sexual man whose simple appearance at this buck’s party might make things interesting as the night and drinking progresses. By way of their pointless banter and recreational drug-taking, all of these characters will confront a past event for one of them that revisits a once buried emotional trauma from a whole new perspective.

It may sound outlandish to find a commonality and then compare this independent drama from remote Australia with the Academy Award ® winning Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest, but hear me out for a sec. Both films meddle with the art of uncomfortable. Where much more experienced filmmaker Johnathan Glazer produced a masterpiece in this art in The Zone of Interest, Birdeater writers and directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir certainly succeed at their sheer intent to bring a different type of discomfort to viewers, albeit it may prove to be too challenging to endure to fully appreciate. 

The highly obscure format of the film right from the start draws intense curiosity, provokes questions aplenty, and compels viewers to pick-up any potential clues for forthcoming revelations. What is the story behind that massive scare on Louie’s head? Why is Irene so anxious and reliant on pills? Why is Louie so resistant to a drink on his own buck’s night? Is Dylan always like this or is he just super pissed that Louie brought “a girl to a guy’s thing”? Until this film unearths what is really underpinning the various discourses and actions happening for much of its duration, Birdeater also provokes tedium to match the intense curiosity derived. For the most patient of viewers, Birdeater can be rewarding and certainly won over my appreciation in how it disguised and revealed what it really is about. Visually, the execution is a mix of experimental and excellent. Some of the filmmaking, especially the editing work, is really nifty. Its orchestral and adventurous score heavily contributes to that niftiness and being quite trippy at times. When reflecting upon this original and quite impressive film, even its title is quite cleverly thought-out. 

Birdeater is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from July 18th.

Moviedoc thanks Umbrella Entertainment and Nixco for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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