Joanne Mitchell takes the viewers on a journey in this macabre horror-crime drama, Broken Bird. The Rogue’s Gallery of Classic Serial Killers has new company with Sybil Carmichael, a strange mortician.
Broken Bird follows a taxidermist and mortician, Sybil Carmichael (Rebecca Calder). She is aloof and eccentric due to losing her family in a car accident as a child. Notably, Sybil is obsessed with death and is strangely attached to corpses. To cope with her grief, she attends poetry readings to express her feelings. Sybil applies to a mortuary run by Mr. Thomas (James Fleet), a widower, who is impressed with her talent. While visiting a museum, she develops a crush on Mark (Jay Taylor), the museum’s curator. Sybil finds him fascinating due to his knowledge of skeletal remains from ancient history. Her interest in him turns into a jealous obsession as she learns he has a fiancée, Tina (Robyn Rainsford Mc Harry). Sybil’s jealousy brings out her destructive instincts as she destroys the gas tank on Mark’s motorcycle after she sees him with Tina at the museum. As a result, Mark ends up dying in a motorcycle accident. Her actions catch up to her as Mark’s body is delivered to the mortuary. Instead of running away from her criminal actions, she becomes protective of his body and does everything in her power to keep Tina away from viewing it.
“…her actions catch up to her as Mark’s body is delivered to the mortuary.”
Meanwhile, Emma (Sacharissa Clayton), a police officer, is grieving over the death of her young son. Her grief has gotten worse ever since her son’s body was stolen from the open casket at his funeral. Emma’s boss, Miller (Rupert Procter), is helping her solve this case. Coincidentally, she runs into Sybil on the street, bringing up a key memory of a mysterious woman at the funeral service. Will Sybil be caught for her delusional and obsessive crimes?
Dominic Brunt’s screenplay is both introspective and highly suspenseful. Sybil is a dynamic character who we come to understand. Her thoughts are conveyed in dream sequences and dark comedy bits. One hilarious bit of dark comedy is a dream sequence where she helps a widow work through her anger, as they repeatedly punch her dead husband in the face due to his affairs and drinking problem. These moments lighten up the film, contrasting with themes of loneliness, grief, and obsession. Even though Sybil is portrayed as a tragic villain, her feelings of loneliness and desire to be loved are still relatable.
Sacharissa Clayton is the heart of the film. Her strong performance will connect with parents who have lost their children. This horror film is excellent due to its complex characters and tight screenplay.
"…Sybil is portrayed as a tragic villainess, her feelings of loneliness and wanting to be loved are still relatable."
