BROKEN BIRD

This rich, disturbing tale steps into the life and mind of Sybil Carmichael. Sybil is a quiet, creative soul. Her hobbies are taxidermy and poetry. She works in a funeral parlor with the deceased. She likes dead people. They understand her.

At just ten years old, she experienced a massive trauma in a tragic accident which took away the family she adored. Now, an aching loneliness prevails in a void which she seeks to fill. She has her hobbies, which is nice… But poetry and a vivid imagination only provide a temporary escape from the harsh realities of a lonely life. Reality and reason are slipping away from Sybil and her ‘dark desires’ become more and more insatiable. Her fascination with the dead takes a dark and strange twist. And in a horrific climax of gothic proportions, she finds her own kind of happiness and contentment with the people she keeps as company – the dead people.

Sybil is masterfully portrayed by Rebecca Calder (Kandahar/Memory) in a riveting nuanced performance in which she captures all of Sybil’s quirky, unsettling behavior. She is supported by the wonderful James Fleet (Four Weddings & a Funeral), Sacharissa Claxton (Avenue 5) and Jay Taylor (Misfits).

For 30 years, the director Joanne Mitchell, has honed her craft as a horror storyteller. She has maintained a firm grip on performance, story, and style to deliver this beautifully creepy rendition of a tormented mind spiraling into madness.