Grief is an ugly thing, and anticipatory grief even more so. That’s what director Cody Calahan explores in his latest film, Death of a Yellow Bird, which just released its first trailer ahead of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest.
Directed by Calahan from his own script, Death of a Yellow Bird stars Ari Millen, Peter Outerbridge, Kassandra Santos, Malka Kaufman, Chance Orion Wood, and Benjamin Sivcevic. The film’s synopsis is as follows:
After refusing treatment, a terminally ill man returns to his childhood home searching for closure. While there he discovers, buried in the earth, the family’s long lost VHS camera. Inside the camera he finds a video tape of home movies. But as he watches, something disturbing begins bleeding through the static. And before long, a disembodied voice.
At first, he suspects it’s his medication, but soon discovers a lurking presence, turning his isolated childhood home into a waking nightmare. With his days numbered and the hauntings escalating, he must solve a dark family secret before his past consumes him.
“I regret not being present when my mother died. I was young, I ran from the hospital the night before she passed. My heart and brain couldn’t deal with losing her,” said Calahan. “Years later, my childhood friend and long-time collaborator, Ari Millen, called to tell me he was seriously ill. He had been diagnosed with cancer, and his odds weren’t great. He told me he wanted to do something creative, as a tool to pour these unfamiliar emotions into. Instead of being consumed with feelings of regret and fear, he would instead be consumed with this film.
“My mother was an art teacher, and she would always tell her students that it’s all about the process. Enjoy the process. So, we did. We experimented with all the creative things we could never do before… My intent was to be there for my best friend, to be present, not to run away but to help him face this, to distract with art the way my mother would have if she could. This movie is meant to heal, and I believe it can.”
Death of a Yellow Bird premieres on September 18 at Fantastic Fest, followed by a Q&A with Calahan.
