NOW IN THEATERS AND VOD! In Birdeater, Australian duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir present a psychologically disturbing weekend filled with hidden secrets and an ample supply of ketamine to enhance the experience.
Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) and Irene (Shabana Azeez) are a couple in love. In fact, they’re engaged. Some might say Irene has a co-dependence issue. Suffering from debilitating social anxiety, she can’t be away from Louie for even a minute. Every night when Louise hangs out with his mates, Irene takes a sleeping pill, so she barely notices he’s gone and wakes up with him beside her.
With the wedding around the corner, Louie’s friend Murph (Alfie Gledhill) is tasked with throwing a Bucks Party (Stag Party) for him. To ease her anxiety, Louie invites Irene along, creating an awkward dynamic for the guys’ night.
Also invited to the party are his closest friends from private school: the loose-cannon Dylan (Ben Hunter) and the devout Christian Charlie (Jack Bannister), along with Charlie’s fiancée, Grace (Clementine Anderson). Irene’s mysterious former traveling companion from years ago, Sam (Harley Wilson), joins them unexpectedly.
The group rents a cabin in the woods, and the evening begins with typical testosterone-fueled fratboy hijinks while Irene and Grace awkwardly tag along. Dylan is the group’s alpha male, passive-aggressively pushing everyone’s buttons. On the first night, Dylan makes a toast that is a direct jab about Louie and his first encounter with Irene. It strikes a nerve, prompting Grace to probe further into what she suspects is a troubled relationship between the two lovebirds.
“The group rents a cabin in the woods, and the evening begins with typical testosterone-fueled fratboy hijinks…”
Take the movie The Big Chill, set it in a cabin in the woods, and add potent hallucinogens to the mix, and you have Birdeater. From the start of the film, the loving couple, Louie and Irene, are a bit off. Filmmakers Clark and Weir are masterful at keeping us off-balance from start to finish. Grace has suspicions about Irene’s obsession with Louie. Dylan sees Louie as a fraud. Soon, the party goes in the wrong direction with a simple game of Paranoia.
As the tension builds in the first act, the party goes off the rails in the second with the introduction of Murph’s ketamine. Let’s just say this is a Bucks party (strippers). Now add the toxic masculinity and locker room antics, and no one comes out unscathed. Clark and Weir keep you on the edge of your seat with stark visuals, an eclectic soundtrack and sound design, and the unraveling truth between Louie and Irene’s relationship.
I’m glad this Australian production was not made in the U.S., as the entire story would have been sanitized. Let’s say nothing goes right when party drugs are introduced and when adult boys are allowed to be little boys. Ultimately, what works is the character development of the entire cast. Overall, it’s impossible to predict where this story will go, and the ending is eerie—it will linger for quite some time.
Birdeater is a gripping exploration of obsession and the fragile dynamics within friendships, all set against the volatile backdrop of a wild Bucks Party. Directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir deliver an unpredictable and eerie narrative that lingers long after. With its sharp character development and refusal to sanitize its dark themes, this Australian indie is an unsettling yet thrilling watch you won’t forget.
"…The Big Chill, set it in a cabin in the woods, and add potent hallucinogens..."
