Julia Louis-Dreyfus meets Death in the form of a real bird of a feather.
Two years in a row, A24 has released a Julia Louis-Dreyfus movie that has taken this former “Seinfeld” star’s career to new heights. “You Hurt My Feelings” was the smart movie about a marriage on a slippery slope, and now, “Tuesday” is a bizarre and observing experience. The kind regarding a mother’s love for her daughter and a supernatural force telling her that her teen’s time is up.
The movie is set in London, where we meet the terminally ill 15-year-old Tuesday (Lola Petticrew, who is currently 28 years old), who comes across Death in the form of a macaw (with a haunting voice by Arinze Kane). Not only does he grow and shrink, but he also tells her that her time is up, and she tells her American mother Zora (Louis-Dreyfus), who is repulsed and in denial. Even when she sees the supernatural macaw, she has her ways of killing Death.
It may sound like I’m giving the story away, as I’m writing this review, but I haven’t revealed what happens after Zora kills Death. The minute you see what goes down, you start to believe it’s some kind of apocalypse (like “Cabin in the Woods” suggested last year), but then you, start to think: “WTF.” That’s basically my reaction as I saw “Tuesday.”
Certain arguments seem unnecessary, but there’s great strength in the aftermath of them. Seeing Louis-Dreyfus and Petticrew connect, or try to connect, is something galvanizing. Mother-daughter relationships can be complicated, especially when this one regards death (note: I’m not talking specifically about the macaw in this sentence). How would any mother react if their child said he/she was going to die tomorrow? What would any mother do if Death was in her house? You let Zora answer those questions.
We would probably know the answers if “Tuesday” wasn’t labeled a fantasy film. But because this is part of the genre, we don’t know the exact answer. And I prefer you see it for yourselves.
According to a conversation I attended, the writer/director Daina O. Pusic said that she got the rights to Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” the day Petticrew was acting and telling the CGI macaw what her favorite song was. It symbolizes a generic day, but there’s nothing generic about this talking and growing and shrinking bird popping by. And yet, it actually makes sense that this song gets played here. The beat of the song fits quite well with the tone of the film.
I also didn’t expect to find humor in the mix, whether it’s dark or honest. I won’t reveal the funniest parts, but the more you grasp your reality and the reality in movies, the more you ease with the humor. But mostly, we’re seeing this movie for its originality and powerful emotions, brought upon by the two leads.
“Tuesday” is the first feature O. Pusic has made, as her short film credits consist of “Press Your Lips Together,” “Elephants,” “The Beast,” and “Rhonna & Donna.” Casting Louis-Dreyfuss in such an original role, and having a surreal premise, I think we can agree that she already knows what she’s doing in the entertainment world. And this is released by A24. That makes things even better.
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