The Thing with Feathers | Behind the Scenes with Director Dylan Southern

In this behind the scenes, Dylan Southern reflects on adapting Max Porter’s book into a feature narrative, and on creating an experiential film that captures the raw, disorienting reality of grief. The story follows a father, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, as he tries to navigate the sudden loss of his wife while raising his two young sons. Alongside them is Crow – a physical manifestation of grief that is at once tormentor and comfort.

From its claustrophobic apartment setting to its bold, unsparing approach, THE THING WITH FEATHERS treats grief as something visceral, strange and overwhelming – because, as Southern puts it, grief itself is not subtle.