How do you ever get past the loss of a loved one? Time and patience often help the most, yet when we see our loved ones trending toward death, we frequently find ourselves bargaining for more time. Tuesday, the feature directorial debut of Daina Oniunas-Pusic examines a woman faced with crushing loss or the choice to take on an impossible task. Like most of us, she chooses a task far beyond her understanding. The setup opens the door for one of Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘s most potent performances on film. However, Tuesday‘s flaws become more apparent with its slow pacing and questionable narrative choices.
Tuesday Plot
Zora (Louis-Dreyfus) struggles to keep her life together as he daughter, Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), inches closer to death. Her daughter’s terminal illness has exhausted Zora’s resources. However, Zora must make the greatest sacrifice when Death – the form of a parrot (Arinzé Kene) arrives to collect Tuesday. After Zora makes an unthinkable choice, the makeshift family must confront the difficult truths waiting on the other side of their unusual adventure.
The Critique
In terms of creativity, Tuesday certainly earns top marks. The idea of Death taking on the persona of a parrot is funny enough on its face. Yet the ways that Oniunas-Pusic utilizes the concept adds considerably to the suspense. A real parrot, despite looking pretty, might be very dangerous. As Death changes size, the creature’s speed adapts accordingly. Oniunas-Pusic also introduces some truly strange moments into the narrative that show the creativity did not stop after the initial concept for the film was crafted. This leads to some of the most unique scenes of the year, not only in the genre but within the medium.
Additionally, Louis-Dreyfus and Petticrew shine throughout. Louis-Dreyfus might be known as a comedy legend, but she’s consistently shown the ability to excel as a dramatic actress. Tuesday provides her most relatable character to date, even as she descends into sadness. The melancholy that hangs over Tuesday stems from Louis-Dreyfus’ performance and is the one emotional note that Oniunas-Pusic keeps tonally consistent throughout. While the comedy and darker fantasy moments do not always work, Tuesday lets Louis-Dreyfus step in and take over for minutes at a time.
Much of Tuesday hinges on your perception of the pacing and your acceptance of magical realism. The first part, the pacing, may ultimately be the most challenging aspect to overcome. Audiences embrace odd or unusual movies year-round. Magical realism might not be for anyone, but it has its fans. A film where Death is a rapping parrot feels like a draw, especially for the A24 crowd. However, the pacing becomes glacial at times. In these moments, the emotional power and nuance gets let out of the room.
While Tuesday clocks in under two hours, it does not feel like that. Perhaps the most egregious aspect comes through in the finale, where Tuesday reaches its emotional catharsis and has us spend at least fifteen more minutes in the world. The reason for these scenes is not unreasonable, but Tuesday needs to cut elsewhere. It’s possible to argue the pacing stems from the subject: after all, living in limbo as you wait for your loved one to die is an exhausting experience. However, Tuesday loses some of its momentum and power because we spend too long in several sequences.
The one creative concept that stuns every time it’s brought into the story stems from Death arriving at several locations as someone is about to pass. Seeing the iterations of the Grim Reaper, which have to handle each unique situation, makes for compelling short stories in the middle of the narrative arc. Oniunas-Pusic never overuses these sequences, allowing their power to hit the audience each time.
The visuals also cycle between ingenious and frustrating CGI. The vision for what Tuesday hopes to deliver, especially regarding the shape and size-shifting parrot, is exceptional. However, the CG does not always live up to the idea on screen. These moments take away from some of the effectiveness. It’s the compassion from the screenplay that helps Tuesday succeed despite some of these flaws. Watching characters find their way through darkness, tragedy, and grief becomes Tuesday‘s greatest effect.
Conclusion
Despite featuring an excellent Louis-Dreyfus performance, Tuesday cannot quite rise to the emotional heights it telegraphs in its screenplay. There’s plenty to like, but between the tonal shifts and frustrating pacing, there’s enough working against the movie. Oniunas-Pusic clearly has big ideas and will produce even better films with more at-bats. A24 found another highly talented young director to keep in-house, even if Tuesday leaves something to be desired.
6/10
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