Why is “The Thing with Feathers” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language and some bloody violent content.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes scenes of a woman dying after an accident, many scenes of a large crow speaking to a man and two young boys, a few scenes of a large crow fighting with a man and another being with gore, many discussions of coping with grief and the difference between grief and despair, discussions of a demon feeding on grief, several arguments and at least 16 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A man (Benedict Cumberbatch) is left to raise his two young sons after the unexpected death of his wife, and his grief is so overwhelming that he begins to hallucinate, imagining an unwanted house guest, a giant crow, that taunts him and occasionally attacks him. Also with Sam Spruell, Henry Boxall, Richard Boxall, Nandi Bhebhe, Eric Lampaert, Tim Plester, Vinette Robinson and the voice of David Thewlis. Directed by Dylan Southern. [Running Time: 1:38]

The Thing with Feathers SEX/NUDITY 1

 – Two young boys kiss on the lips (playfully and innocently). A man stands shirtless in a bathroom and steps into a shower (we see his bare back, chest and abdomen).

The Thing with Feathers VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 – A large crow walks into a room and slams a man around, throwing him against walls and the floor and we see bloody scratches on the man’s face before embracing the man in its large wings. A man is thrown through a floor crashing through the ceiling of the room below and beaten by something; blood splatters and we see what looks like a being tearing at the man’s body until a large crow hits the being with a bat several times, the being punches the crow and they fight; the being pins the crow on the floor and pulls at its body (we see intestines and pools of blood on the floor) and the crow pins the being against a wall and pecks it in the head.
► A large crow collapses on the floor and blood pools under it as we hear strained breathing and it falls still (presumably dead) before reviving and laughing at a man and two young boys that thought it was dead. A doorbell rings and several people at the door try to convince the man inside to open the door; a police officer demands entry and pounds hard on the door before a woman appears at the door and speaks to the man inside, two young boys try to open the door calling for their mother, and the man eventually opens the door and walks outside where he is thrown to the ground and dragged by something unseen.
► A man imagines a large crow speaking to him in a grocery store, the lights turn off and the man is cornered by the crow when he tries to get away. Two young boys are seen with bloody scratches on their faces after an encounter with a large crow. A large shrouded figure stands in the shadows and speaks to a man; we see a claw-like hand reach toward him and later see that this being is a giant crow. A young boy wakes up and sees a crow standing at the foot of his bed and he screams.
► A man tells a mental health professional that his son is wetting the bed and having nightmares. A man yells and pounds on a table to get his two young sons to help him. A man yells at his two young sons when he finds them wearing their mother’s sweater, jewelry and makeup. A man tries to talk to his young son and the child becomes angry and throws something at a picture breaking it and storms out of the room saying that he hates his father. A young boy is angry and searches feverishly for something. A large crow tells two young boys to create something that represents their mother and the one that does the best work will win and the crow will bring her back to life for one day; the boys are devastated when the crow does not do as it promised. We hear several voicemail messages of people telling a man that they are worried about him not returning calls or answering calls. We understand that a woman died leaving behind two young children and her husband who suffers from debilitating grief; he tells his two young sons that their mother died. A man tells a large crow, “I don’t need you.” We hear voiceovers of two young boys saying that their mother died and that their dad was different; they say that he’s quiet and that he disappears. A young boy talks to a mirror as if his mother is on the other side (she said something about this when she was alive). A large crow mocks a man and his inability to manage his grief in several scenes. A crow tells a man that he is letting things go to ruin, that he has abandoned his two young sons and that he is wallowing in self-pity. We hear about a “demon” and see a humanoid figure.
► A crow flies into a window startling a man who cuts his finger with a knife (we see blood on his hand and dripped on the floor); when the man sees blood on the floor he flashes back to finding his wife dead after hitting her head (we see blood pooled on the floor under her head later). A man imagines finding his wife’s body in a snow-covered setting and we see blood leaching from her hand and mouth into the snow.
► A man remembers calling for an ambulance when he found his wife unresponsive on the floor and he saying, “She’s not breathing” and “There’s blood.” A man throws a woman’s ashes into the wind at a beach. A man hears noises in a chimney and when he presses his hand against it we hear a loud rush of fluttering wings; the doorbell rings and there is no one there when the man opens the door.
► A man draws frantically and caws like a crow in a few scenes and he holds his hand in an unnatural pose in one scene. A man panics when toast is burned and a pot boils over. A man yells at someone on the phone when he is unable to get help with something. A phone message is heard to have a distorted voice speaking to a man about being a “sad dad” and saying “she’s gone.” Crows caw and tap at windows in several scenes. Discordant music plays over sounds of scratching with opening credits and a rush of flapping wings. A young boy wakes with a start and tells his father there’s a feather on his pillow.
► Two boys wrestle and play fight while their father tries to get them to get ready for bed.
► A young boy says that soymilk “tastes like farts.”

The Thing with Feathers LANGUAGE 6

 – About 16 F-words and its derivatives, 8 scatological terms (1 mild), 1 mild obscenity, name-calling (sad dad, dull, grieving widower, inconsiderate, awful, middle-aged, stubborn, cheeky bugger, bloody old crow, silly, cliché, hopeless, no patience, angry, primal), exclamations (shut-up, shame on you), 2 religious exclamations (e.g. oh God no, oh my God). | profanity glossary |

The Thing with Feathers SUBSTANCE USE

 – Two men smoke what appears to be marijuana. Two men drink beer in a pub, a man drinks whiskey and smokes a cigarette, and people drink liquor at a book signing. A man smokes cigarettes in several scenes.

The Thing with Feathers DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Death of a parent, death of a loved one, grief, Baba Yaga, routine, chaos, grief vs. despair, coping mechanisms.

The Thing with Feathers MESSAGE

 – Grief can be debilitating and will lead to despair if not accepted and endured.