Netflix today unveils a new unseen film “Lilly and the Bird”, a bittersweet drama carried by a strikingly narrow Melissa McCarthy.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT ?
Mourning, Lilly draws from a territorial rivalry with a starling installed in her garden the strength to confront her grief, to make peace with those around her and to rediscover her capacity to love.
Lilly and the Bird by Theodore Melfi with Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, Kevin Kline … – Available on Netflix
THE BIRTH OF A NEW MAJOR ACTRESS?
After The Manhattan Counterfeiters and the series Nine Perfect Strangers, Melissa McCarthy confirms her new status as a leading dramatic actress with Lilly and the bird, a new original Netflix France acquisition to be discovered on September 24.
The 51-year-old actress lends her features to Lilly Maynard, bereaved by a miscarriage and left to herself since her husband Jack (Chris O’Dowd) joined a specialized center to treat her depression. Starting therapy herself with a former psychologist who has been converted as a veterinarian, the latter will see her daily life turned upside down by the arrival of a garden sound from a stunner determined to establish his nest there.
Netflix
Metaphor on mental health through a bird (as were the famous ducks in The Sopranos), Lilly and the bird is a bittersweet drama screened at many prestigious festivals, including Toronto. Note also that the scenario of the film signed Matt Harris (Dead For a Dollar) appeared in 2005 in the famous “Black List” which identifies each year the best scenarios that have not yet been shot.
A true nugget of American independent cinema therefore, Lilly and the Bird has benefited from a confidential release in the United States, a condition required to compete in the next award ceremonies, and in particular at the Oscars where Melissa McCarthy is already a figure. Outsider for the Best Actress statuette (she has so far won two Oscar nominations, for My best friends and Manhattan Counterfeiters).
Lilly and the bird, directed by Theodore Melfi (Shadows Figures), is available only on Netflix today.