TUESDAY – Review

Maybe it’s a bit of unintended “synergy”, or just a result of a scrambled post-strike release schedule, but 2024 is proving to be quite a busy year for the current “indie-studio darling” A24. Could they repeat their Oscar dominance from two years ago with their recent ‘slate”? Who knows, but this new film flying (wink to the themes of the story) into theatres this weekend could snag a few nominations. A big factor for that is the lead actress, who is really bursting out of her “comfort zone”. That’s because she is the most nominated actress for TV comedy (in three different shows) in Emmy history (and she has taken home lotsa’ gold). And though there are a few laughs, she showcases her dramatic “chops’ in TUESDAY.

This story starts as the “grim reaper” makes its “rounds”, crisscrossing planet Earth and encountering some folks pleading for its embrace, others greeting it with a spit at its beak. Yes, beak. This isn’t the familiar bony-cloaked ghoul, but a rather a brightly colored (now dimmed by dirt) maccaw. Plus it can change its size, from tiny (close to a pea) to scary big (towering over his “chosen”). Oh, and he can speak (voice of Arinze Kene), not merely repeating like a parrot but engaging in conversation, even mimicking voices ( a feathered Rich Little). The next “stop” is the bedroom of a terminally ill fifteen-year-old named Tuesday (Lola Petticrew). While Nurse Billie (Leah Harvey) putters in the next room, Tuesday disarms Death, first with a joke, then with a bit of kindness by helping it bathe in the sink. But where are her folks? There’s only a mom, Zora (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who spends her days selling off family heirlooms and eating cheese in the park, returning home to keep up the lie of a busy career. And she stumbles upon quite a scene after dismissing Billie. After sharing a CBD vape, Death got very “small” and is resting inside Tuesday’s ear. When it awakens and flies out, Zora goes to extreme lengths to protect her only child. The ensuing battle not only changes the mother/daughter dynamic, but its consequences could throw the world into complete chaos.

So yes, the big draw is seeing our favorite ex-girlfriend from a classic sitcom go for the tears rather than the guffaws. And as I mentioned earlier, there are brief bits of levity but Louis-Dreyfus really dives into Zora’s almost-constant agony. Though it’s not apparent to many, as she wears several kinds of masks to obscure the impending loss. In public, she’s donning the disguise of a busy exec, shouting into a powered-off cell phone while doodling in a tiny notepad. With antique dealers, she’s an aloof though a tad zany socialite looking to “clear away the clutter’ as she haggles over silly “knick-knacks”. Returning home she slips on the face of happy optimist, first with Nurse Billie then with the somber resigned Tuesday. And then Louis-Dreyfus shows us Zora as fierce “Mama Grizzly”, out to destroy the monster that wants he beloved child. There’s even a touch of acceptance, as the “tables are turned” somewhat, making her finally connect intellectually with her daughter. It’s an often conflicted, even infuriating character, but Louis-Dreyfus imbues her with noble humanity and gifts us with another piece of her formidable talents.

Happily, screen newcomer Petticrew proves to be a deft, compelling scene partner for her. As Tuesday she balances a tough, world-weary pessimism with a snarky sense of her mortality, truly a dark, nearly pitch-black, sense of humor. But when she’s staring down death, mesmerized by that feathered beady eye, Petticrew conveys her sense of panic, scrambling to think of anything that will delay the “endgame”.And by the big finale, she becomes a maternal-like comforter to her miserable mum. This could be the start of a truly interesting acting resume. Harvey is an endearing comic “straight woman’ as the health care worker connected to this fantastical “madhouse”, not “getting” the gallows humor of the family and later overwhelmed by the insanity flooding the nearby streets and homes. Kudos must also go out to the vocal performance of Kene who strikes the right balance of gravelly menace and pathetic yearning as he seems to desire a friendship but cannot turn his “tail’ on his dreary duties.

This film is the feature debut of writer/director Daina Oniunas-Pusic, who has somehow mixed a heavy family tragedy with a bit of magical realism that often feels like a modern fairy tale, especially as it harkens back to the ninety-year-old romantic fable DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, This underlines the wisdom that without “endings” humanity would fall into ruin, And not to fear that inevitable finale. And the locations, always-overcast Britain, drive that point home, especially when Zora “camps out” on a park bench to avoid her “house of doom”. The visual effects are nearly seamless, from the motions (and emotions) of the “big bird” to the quiet power of the mother/daughter duo joining on a journey as they begin a new “purpose” with more reliance on practical makeup “tricks” than flashy CGI. Many audiences will be confused and perhaps annoyed by the disorienting first moments as we follow death, and even later as it battles Zora. But if you can get into the flow of the pacing and the overall “oddness” the powerful performances are a bountiful reward for adventurous filmgoers. It’s the “big ideas” and talented cast that create a whimsical and often tearful TUESDAY.

2.5 Out of 4

TUESDAY is now playing in select theatres