The Thing with Feathers (2025)

A grieving father's life spirals into chaos when his sorrow manifests as an unhinged house guest.

The story

Left to raise two young sons after the unexpected death of his wife, Dad's life begins to unravel. Grief is messy and chaotic enough as it is, but when it takes the form of an unhinged and unwanted house guest—Crow—taunting him from the shadows, things start to spiral out of control... but maybe that's exactly what Dad needs.

First release year

2025

Runtime (minutes)

104

Production countries

United Kingdom

Original languages

English

Directors

Dylan Southern

Writers

Dylan Southern · screenplay

Cast and characters

Benedict Cumberbatch · Dad; Richard Boxall · Boy 1; Henry Boxall · Boy 2; Eric Lampaert · Crow; David Thewlis · the voice of Crow; Vinette Robinson · Amanda; Sam Spruell · Paul; Leo Bill · Dr. Bowden

Genres

drama

Themes

grief; father–son relationships

Tone and mood

mixed or average

Premise and plot tags

drama; grief; father–son relationships; British novel adaptation

Source material / true-story basis

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

Reception

It received mixed reviews from critics.

Reported review scores

Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 18; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 18

Production trivia

Principal photography began in early 2024.; The film received British Film Institute (BFI) Filmmaking Fund production support in 2024.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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