Birdeater: Movie Review

Cast: Mackenzie Fearnley, Shabana Azeez
Director: Jack Clark, Jim Weir

A searing sense of foreboding and claustrophobia inhabits much of Birdeater, from Australian directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir.

It begins with a montage of a budding relationship as Mackenzie Fearnley’s Louie and Shabana Azeez’s Irene meet at a beach party for the first time. But as the images flicker between romantic interludes and apparent happiness, it soon becomes clear not all is well within the confines of this partnership, with Louie repeatedly going out and leaving Irene behind.

When Louie and Irene decide to marry, he offers her a spot on the upcoming bucks’ night promising it’ll be fun and a chance for her to get to know his friends. However, when the group comes together, the initial desire to celebrate turns to something more sinister as the truth is revealed.

Birdeater benefits greatly from an atmosphere of unease as it unspools in front of you.

From a loose cannon best friend to a seeming voice of reason, all aspects of the male psyche are examined here, but in ways that are deeply unsettling and ultimately somewhat upsetting.

But both Clark and Weir are in no rush to reveal what lies within the onion’s layers, choosing to make viewing as uncomfortable as possible in parts. Whilst it is once again an examination of the toxic male mind, the seeds of paranoia come to fruition among the alpha male attitudes.

As one character says early on, “Nothing is ever serious, nothing is ever real.” It’s a sentiment that leaves you repeatedly questioning what is happening for much of this darkly comic and bleak movie – but thanks to a degree of restraint throughout most of this, Clark and Weir’s film lingers for a long time in the mind, long after the lights have gone up and you have to look your partner squarely – and uncomfortably - in the eye once again.

This film is playing as part of the 2024 Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival. For more details, visit nziff.co.nz