The Thing with Feathers is a 2025 British drama film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It is written and directed by Dylan Southern and adapted from the book Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Contents
Synopsis
Left to raise two young sons after the unexpected death of his wife, Dad's life begins to unravel. The grief was overwhelming and was already messing with his mind enough, but when it takes the form of an horrendous and unwanted house guest—Crow—taunting him from the shadows, things start to quickly get out of his control. but maybe that's potentially what he needed all this time.
Cast
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dad
Richard Boxall as Boy 1
Henry Boxall as Boy 2
Eric Lampaert as Crow
David Thewlis as the voice of Crow
Vinette Robinson as Amanda
Sam Spruell as Paul
Leo Bill as Dr. Bowden
Tim Plester as Andy
Claire Cartwright as Mum
Production
The project is from Film4, Lobo Films and Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch. Producers on the project are Andrea Cornwell, Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke. It is an adaptation by Dylan Southern of the novel Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. The film received British Film Institute (BFI) Filmmaking Fund production support in 2024.
Principal photography began in early 2024.
Release
It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2025. It was also shown as European premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in 18 February 2025. In April 2025, Vue Lumière acquired U.K. and Irish distribution rights to the film. They released it across the UK and Ireland on 21 November 2025.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 73 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Thing with Feathers manages to take flight thanks in part to Benedict Cumberbatch, but choppy characterizations and lack of subtlety make for a rough ride." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.