Blackbird
During a terminally ill woman's final family weekend, a carefully arranged farewell becomes a volatile reckoning with love, resentment, and assisted dying.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- darkly comic
- intimate
- quiet evening
- emotionally heavy viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the sensitive euthanasia premise and strong ensemble cast emotionally affecting, but considered the storytelling shallow and familiar.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lily's carefully organized final weekend intensifies conflict between Jennifer, Anna, Paul, and Liz.
Lily plans to pursue euthanasia because of her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, making assisted dying the family's central moral conflict.
Lily and the assembled family use humor, including humor from the dying character, amid the final-days premise.
Most of the story unfolds during one weekend at Lily's house, emphasizing group interactions and intimate confrontations.
Films like Blackbird, and why
The Farewell
shared intimate family gathering, terminal illness, emotional conflict, and ensemble drama
The Savages
shared end-of-life themes, family tensions, dark humor, and emotionally direct drama
August: Osage County
shared weekend family gathering, buried resentments, marital strain, and ensemble melodrama
Movie Details
- Director
- Roger Michell
- Release Date
- 2019-09-06
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (227)
Cast
- Susan Sarandon
- Kate Winslet
- Mia Wasikowska
- Sam Neill
- Lindsay Duncan
- Rainn Wilson
- Bex Taylor-Klaus
- Anson Boon
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Blackbird about?
- During a terminally ill woman's final family weekend, a carefully arranged farewell becomes a volatile reckoning with love, resentment, and assisted dying.
- What is Blackbird like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Blackbird as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Blackbird violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Blackbird.
- What did critics think of Blackbird?
- Critics broadly found the sensitive euthanasia premise and strong ensemble cast emotionally affecting, but considered the storytelling shallow and familiar.
- Which films are like Blackbird?
- Films with a similar feel include The Farewell, The Savages, and August: Osage County.
- How long is Blackbird?
- Blackbird runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Blackbird?
- In United States, Blackbird is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
