Najrin Islam

This more pithily titled adaptation of Max Porter’s acclaimed novella Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by British writer-director Dylan Southern (Meet Me in the Bathroom) has the feel of a mental-health handbook. Split into four chapters, the film illustrates the intrusion, persistence and necessity of grief in the lives of a new widower and his sons (all of whom remain unnamed) as the family acclimates to their new reality.  As ‘Dad’, Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a moving, committed performance as a father who does not know how to move forward after this stupendous loss. But his brilliance is at odds with the repetitive script, which constantly bludgeons him with quips about coping. The story gains momentum when a wild crow gains entry into the house and the film pivots towards psychological horror. Initially an ominous, disembodied voice (a terrific David Thewlis), the anthropomorphic bird provokes, rebukes, soothes, and laughs; it does not take us long to understand that Crow is a projection of Dad’s grief. Having emerged from Dad’s cathartic drawings, Crow is a life-size manifestation of his inner turmoil. There are strong echoes of Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, which also made a physical monster of grief and used it as the driving force for emotional unravelling within a fragmented family. But Southern seems unsure about what to do with his beast. Embodied by actor Eric Lampaert in a suit, Crow’s aggressive gestures appear quite silly at times. The film neither dives fu

In July, the London Indian Film Festival returns for its 17th edition with another compelling and diverse set of films from across South Asia. And the ‘London’ bit is just part of the story, because the festival also unspools in Birmingham and Manchester over three packed weeks. There are newly restoration gems, indie features, shorts, documentaries and the odd get-together to chew over some of the best Indian storytelling on screen. Indian cinema aficionados and curious newbies alike will be spoiled for choice. But with dozens of films on the programme, it can be hard to know where to start. To help narrow things down, festival programmer Najrin Islam has picked five films to look out for at the festival. Ticket are on sale now, so get booking and don’t miss out. RECOMMENDED: 🇮🇳 The 100 best Bollywood movies ever made🔥 The best films of 2026 (so far)  Photograph: London Indian Film Festival‘52 Blue’ 1. 52 Blue As football fever grips the world, this uplifting coming-of-age drama offers a heartfelt story about dreams, ambition and self-discovery. The film follows a young Messi devotee with an overprotective father whose greatest wish is to see his hero at the World Cup in Qatar. When an unexpected opportunity takes him from his Kerala home to Qatar, he’s left navigating a strange and unfamiliar world. It’s a tense, gripping story that strikes a rare balance between mainstream appeal and arthouse sensibility.  6.10pm, Thu Jul 9 (BFI Southbank)7pm, Fri Jul 10 (MAC Birmingh