Starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Sam Neill, Rainn Wilson, Blackbird premiered at the 2019 Toronto Fim Festival.
Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh
Screen Media plans to release the film, acquired from Millennium Media, in September.
In Blackbird, Lily (Sarandon) has learned she has cancer, so she and her husband Paul (Neill), gather the family and loved ones together to discuss her options. But once together, opinions vary, especially those of Lily’s daughters, Jennifer (Winslet) and Anna (Wasikowska) and what was intended as a loving family gathering quickly shifts into a panoply of family dynamics.
Directed by Roger Michell (My Cousin Rachel, Notting Hill, and the upcoming The Duke with Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent,) and written by Christian Torpe, Blackbird is produced by David Bernardi, Sherryl Clark and Robert Van Norden.
“I think all of us were surprised by how powerful this little film turned out. It punches far beyond its weight and in the final round delivers an astonishing and emotional knockout blow,” said Michell. “But along the way it’s much funnier than we all thought too. The ensemble is faultless, and the detail of their performances stops the story feeling maudlin or self-indulgent. I think we’re all really proud of it.”
“It should come as no surprise with a cast as renown as the one in Blackbird, and under the direction of Roger Michell, that this film is incredibly engaging and moving but also with moments of humor as it examines the messiness of living,” said Seth Needle, SVP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Screen Media.