TIFF 2021: The Starling Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The best films regardless of genre are successful when they affect audiences on an emotional level but that has to be earned which isn’t always the case as many have tried and failed. That being said, audiences are different as certain elements will inevitably appeal to some more than others which is perhaps why the tearjerker genre continues to find success. Attempting to find some of that same success, filmmakers often turn to the same tired tropes and conventions in order to appeal to the emotions of audiences and sometimes it works while others can immediately see through it and therefore be turned off by it. When it comes to The Starling, either are likely to be the case as the film seemingly goes out of its way to appeal to, arguably manipulate, audiences’ emotions in such a blatant and lazy way that it is likely to turn viewers that will see right through it off in spite of solid performances. However, one can’t help but be sad by the subpar material and general laziness that fails to set the film apart from all the others in the subgenre as the film is likely to be forgotten not too long following its release.

The Starling follows a woman named Lilly Maynard (McCarthy) who recently suffered the loss of her infant daughter which also sent her husband Jack (O’Dowd) to a mental institution to deal with his grief. It’s a sad time for both of them as the score will constantly reminds viewers. Left alone to deal with her own guilt, Lilly soon received an unwanted guest in the form of a starling that had taken roost in her backyard, harassing and attacking her. Going out of her way to eliminate the bird while occasionally veering into slapstick, she became obsessed with that contentious relationship obviously mirroring that with her own grief. Jack’s own struggles kind of took a backseat as he merely bided his time despite appearing to take the loss harder though Lilly never really got a chance to deal with hers. Perhaps helping her with that was a former therapist now veterinarian named Larry (Kline) for whom she forms a bond with as the two helped each other through their own issues. Though the end result was a predictable one, none of it ever felt earned as the film just skirted by any deeper issues or themes, checking off items off a list of contrived and derivative story beats and favoring the convenient trademark ending.

The best part of The Starling was easily its performances by default. They made the best out of the mediocre material, making for an at least somewhat compelling if not forgettable watch. McCarthy and her charisma and screen presence made for a decent lead in Lilly though the film failed to challenge her in any way, giving her some comedic and dramatic moments without handling either all that well. O’Dowd was fine as Jack but didn’t really have many chances to shine other than a monologue later into the film which was immediately undercut. The best of the main three was Kline as Larry, bringing warmth and humanity in a limited role.

At the end of the day, The Starling is just more fluff for the pile.

 still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.