In many movies, Death is portrayed as a figure in a black cloak. This figure slowly stalks those it seeks and takes them from this Earth in a way they deem fit. Director Daina O. Pusić’s version of death is a Macaw that can shrink to the size of a chapstick and grow to be about 20 feet. While seeming harmless, the Macaw, or Death, hears the cries and calls of those at the end of their lives and flies out to them. The film starts with Death leaving one of its victims and flying to the next one.
It seems strange for Death to be a bird but it makes sense as it flies from one person to the next. As stated, Death can hear people at the end of their lives or praying to die and it flies to them to answer their prayer. What Death does is not violent or grotesque but all they do is wave its dirty wing over the person’s head and they quietly leave this Earth. By the look of the Death, all black with disheveled feathers, you can guess that they have been doing this for centuries and never get a chance just to be. One day death hears the coughing and gasping of air from Tuesday, played by Lola Petticrew. As Death is about to take her life, Tuesday, after getting her breathing to go back to normal, does something that no one has done before, they make Death laugh. Arinzé Kene, who voices Death, gives it a smooth voice like Tony Todd’s Candyman but also feels sinister like Heath Ledger’s Joker.
While it is not a normal meeting, Tuesday convinces Death to give her time to say goodbye to her mother. Tuesday’s mother Zora, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is out of the house most of the day. We see her pawning off trinkets for money and only later find out why she is doing this. When Zora meets Death the meeting does not go well. Zora is not ready for her daughter to go and does multiple things to Death to get them to leave. Not to give away too much of the movie but she ultimately does something that removes Death from the situation but at a cost.
One thing about the delivery of the movie that might draw people away is having a Macaw as the form of Death. Seeing it talk and interact with the actors seems silly at times. While the movie seems like a complete tearjerker, it takes a few beats to get to that moment. We as an audience must go on this journey with Zora and feel her pain and acceptance. It is only when Zora is placed in the shoes of another does she fully understands. (Yes, the last sentence is a little vague but it needs to be not spoil anything from the movie.)
What Tuesday does is take the viewer on an emotional journey with Death. By Death spending time with Tuesday, we get a better understanding of what we must do in our lives and how we can live our lives to the fullest. Tuesday will have you crying during the third act but it will also have you smiling. We all know that our lives are finite but our lives don’t have to end when we lose those around us. Tuesday will have people talking afterward and maybe changing some aspects of their lives.
Final Thoughts: Tuesday is a journey into losing those we love and how our lives change due to these losses. The delivery of the movie might be off-putting to some but rewarding for those who stick around until the end. Julia Louis-Dreyfus gives a memorable performance that is emotionally wrecking and hopeful at the same time. Lola Petticrew is charming as Tuesday while Arinzé Kene’s Death is a scene stealer. I will say that Tuesday will have me listen to Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” and People Under the Stairs “Montego Slay” in different ways from here on.
Kid-Friendly: The topic of Death is a heavy one for any kid so parents might want to be ready to talk with their children about it after the movie. Kids 16 and up would be the recommended age for Tuesday because of this topic. It is slow-paced so younger kids might lose interest in the movie fast.
Violence: The movie does start with some tough scenes to watch with people calling for death. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Zora does some pretty heinous acts of violence on Death that can be viewed as animal cruelty.
A mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, in a profoundly moving performance) and her teenage daughter (Lola Petticrew) must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird. From debut filmmaker Daina O. Pusić, Tuesday is a heart-rending fairy tale about the echoes of loss and finding resilience in the unexpected.