The Thing with Feathers (film)

The Thing with Feathers is a 2025 British drama film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It is written and directed by Dylan Southern and adapted from the book Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter.

The Thing with Feathers
Directed by	Dylan Southern
Screenplay by	Dylan Southern
Based on	Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
Produced by	Leah Clarke Andrea Cornwell Adam Ackland
Starring	Benedict Cumberbatch
Cinematography	Ben Fordesman
Edited by	George Cragg
Music by	Zebedee C. Budworth
Production companies	Film4 Lobo Films SunnyMarch
Distributed by	Vue Lumière
Release date	January 25, 2025 (2025-01-25) (Sundance)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$6 million[1]

Synopsis

A father and two sons struggle to cope with the sudden loss of their wife and mother.^[2] In addition to trying to move on with their lives, the family also has to face grief, which is depicted as a large crow.

Cast

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Dad
• Richard Boxall as Boy 1
• Henry Boxall as Boy 2
• Eric Lampaert as Crow
  • David Thewlis as the voice of Crow
• Vinette Robinson as Amanda
• Sam Spruell as Paul
• Claire Cartwright as Mum

Production

The project is from Film4, Lobo Films and Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch. Producers on the project are Andrea Cornwell, Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke. It is an adaptation by Dylan Southern of the novel Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter.^[3] The film received British Film Institute (BFI) Filmmaking Fund production support in 2024.^[4]

Principal photography was underway in early 2024.^[5][6]

Release

It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2025.^[7][8] It was also shown as European premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in 18 February 2025.^[9] In April 2025, Vue Lumière acquired U.K. and Irish distribution rights to the film.^[10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 30 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Thing with Feathers manages to take flight thanks in part to Benedict Cumberbatch, but choppy characterizations and lack of subtlety make for a rough ride."^[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.