TUESDAY -- Death Comes Squawking at Your Door

Review by Joseph Fayed

Having your directorial debut produced by A24 is no easy accomplishment. With only a few shorts under her belt, Daina O. Pusić had a lot to aspire to. With Tuesday, Pusic takes dark themes intertwined with humor and, under her direction, turns her own family drama into something witty and moving enough — even with its mixed messages about life and death. 

Tuesday (Lola Petticrew) is a terminally ill teenager who spends her days at home; most of the time, she is alone. Her mother, Zora (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), has grown distant from her daughter and can't accept her diagnosis while going through a bit of personal crisis. One day, Tuesday is visited by death (voiced by Arinze Kene) in the form of a talking parrot. She bonds with death and confesses that she is tired of living. Before death can grant his wish, Zora confronts death, and that includes having a heart-to-heart with her daughter, but not before a series of misadventures begin for the two of them. 

Most of the action, especially once death arrives and is discovered by Zora, comes after a lengthy period of time where little takes place in the script. The pacing in the first half is slow and then speeds through its second act to reach its conclusion. How it approaches Death, literally and figuratively, makes the film stand out. What it gets right is the fair balance between humor and sadness, but it's mainly the former that will hook you in at certain moments rather than lose you. 

Tuesday is as close to a real depiction of a teenage girl with a terminal illness as you will find in a fantasy drama without making her feel too sappy. She has found the closure she wants to end her life with, but her personality doesn't feel one-sided. In fact, she is the only character who feels multi-dimensional. We get to see two different sides of her around Death and her mom. She is open with them both to an extent, and that is utterly realistic for someone in her age demographic. 

Lola Petticrew gives the most compelling turn of this cast and carries most of the heavy weight of this film on her back. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who gives a rare dramatic performance here, will most likely be regarded as being the most sincere in her role. Although her comedic chops benefit her in certain scenes, Louis-Dreyfus in grief is just as strong on-screen, especially given how out of style a character like this is for her. Arinze Kene, in a role as confusing as Death in parrot form normally sounds, makes the most of his deep-sounding voice to emulate darkness. His line reads and delivery are sharp, but ultimately, he is best utilized as a talking metaphor for something greater, such as dying, versus being used for funny gags which get tiresome later on. 

Tuesday is a beautifully shot film that is both a technical and cinematographic masterpiece. Its contrasting colors and CGI are very well done, and almost every shot/aspect ratio highlights both what we are supposed to be focusing on and the background catching your attention. That said, the pacing is all over the place and can't circle back to its primary focus in time to save it. It is meant to be both witty and sad, but balancing the two proves to be easier acted by Petticrew and Louis-Dreyfus than it is written and directed by Pusic. If this becomes a sleeper hit, then maybe A24 can greenlight its next prequel and call it Death about everyone's favorite macaw turned slayer of humans and his humble origins. Gotta get more arthouse-funded franchises made somehow! ​

​Tuesday is now in theaters.

Rating: 2.5/5