Benedict Cumberbatch’s “powerful” British drama is available to watch now in the UK

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The British drama The Thing with Feathers, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, is now showing in UK cinemas. Cumberbatch plays a father who must care for his two sons after his wife passes away.

The film, based on Max Porter’s novel Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, features Benedict Cumberbatch and David Thewlis in leading roles. The cast also includes Vinette Robinson, Sam Spruell, Jessie Cave, Leo Bill, Tim Plester, Adam Basil, and Garry Cooper.

Dylan Southern, known for his documentary work, wrote and directed The Thing with Feathers. The film is a poetic look at love, grief, and the unexpected paths to recovery.

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After a young father loses his wife, he starts to lose touch with reality. He begins to feel like something mysterious is haunting him and his two sons in their apartment.

A crow resembling a man, brought to life through the father’s illustrations and voiced by David Thewlis, enters the family’s life and helps them adjust to a new future together.

Although the film started with a promising idea, reviews have been mixed. Currently, it has a 56% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 41 reviews. While critics have praised Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting, they generally feel the movie’s storyline is weak.

According to The Spectator, the movie relies heavily on Benedict Cumberbatch’s strong performance of suffering, and he delivers that exceptionally well. However, the publication notes that his acting isn’t enough to make up for the film’s weak and underdeveloped story.

I read a review in The Daily Telegraph that really got me thinking. They said Cumberbatch is working incredibly hard to make the movie feel real, which I totally believe, but the reviewer thinks the source material just doesn’t lend itself to this kind of dark, almost horror-movie vibe they’re going for. Basically, they feel like it’s a good effort, but the story itself is the problem – it’s just not a fit for this approach.

According to The Financial Times, Benedict Cumberbatch’s face conveyed the story effectively on its own, but the director relied too much on sudden scares and physical fights with the raven.

According to Screen International, the film has many brilliant moments, but some of the story’s subtlety was lost in the adaptation from the written page to the screen. This resulted in the complex emotions being portrayed more directly as simple stages of intense sorrow.

Deadline praised the film as a moving depiction of grief, calling The Thing with Feathers a remarkable artistic achievement and a promising debut for its director. However, they noted it might not appeal to all viewers.

The Thing with Feathers is out now in cinemas in the UK and Ireland.

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2025-11-22 00:49