The Factor With Feathers could also be primarily based on a ebook, however it additionally takes inspiration from an unlikely supply — the album cowl of the Who's 1979 album, The Youngsters Are Alright.

The movie premiered on the 2025 Sundance Movie Pageant on Saturday night time, and director Dylan Southern revealed the album's position in influencing a placing tableau within the movie throughout a post-screening Q&A.

The movie follows Dad (Benedict Cumberbatch), a younger widower who’s struggling to deal with elevating his two sons within the wake of his spouse's sudden demise. His grief manifests as a big crow that stalks by his dwelling, serving as each a daunting specter and protector. As Crow takes on extra of the latter position, a scene depicts Crow seated within the heart of a settee with Cumberbatch on one aspect of him and the 2 boys on the opposite, all wrapped inside the security of Crow's wings.

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The scene is a direct reference to a second in Max Porter's novella, which is the supply materials for the movie. But it surely's additionally Southern's tribute to an iconic British rock band.

"There's a extremely cool image of the Who on the duvet of The Youngsters Are Alright the place they're wrapped within the Union Jack," Southern stated. "And that was my reference for that."

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"That's teamwork, ," Porter quipped.

Cumberbatch shared his causes for signing onto the movie, each because the star on whom many of the emotional heavy lifting falls and as producer. "The ebook had a profound impact on me after I learn it," the Physician Unusual actor defined. "And Dylan's pitch was actually intriguing and the friendship that grew out of our conversations. I had completely little question in my thoughts that we'd get a movie [that would turn out] like this. I knew from his deep cineastic nerdy information, his love of each type of craft that you just see and listen to within the movie, his concepts of how you can create depth and how you can problem tone and style."

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The actor additionally famous how intimidating the position was to deal with. "It's totally different in actuality from what was on the web page, however on the web page, [it's] very difficult," he stated. "You’ve the youngsters, a person in a giant rubber go well with with an animatronic head, and a Twenty first-century crew — with all that, attempting to externalize [intimacy] that was fascinating."

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One of many larger challenges Cumberbatch confronted was determining the dynamic between his extra indifferent onscreen father and his need to attach with the younger actors enjoying his sons. "I simply captured little moments — to recollect to play, to be open with the youngsters, and in addition how you can distance myself," he defined. "I discovered it troublesome. When the digital camera was on I used to be attempting to be dad, who isn't an excellent dad, after which when the digital camera was off, attempting to be a a lot better dad to get these kids to really feel snug, to really feel like mates who may play with me. That was a joyous factor to do. It's a feast for an actor, so [there was] quite a bit to lure me to the mission."

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