WATCH: A bachelor party goes off the rails in this homoerotic horror film
Birdeater—about a bachelor weekend retreat that goes horribly, horribly wrong—has the potential to be one of the scariest movies of the year.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.The first feature from directing duo Jack Clark & Jim Weir, the film takes us to remote, rural New South Wales, where Louie’s (Mackenzie Fearnley) best buds are throwing him a classic bro bash ahead of his wedding to Irene (Shabana Azeez).But seemingly eager to ingratiate Irene to his friend group, he invites her along for the weekend, bucking bachelor tradition.
His friend Charlie (Jack Bannister) also invites his fiancée Grace (Clementine Anderson) along, in an attempt to put Irene at ease so she’s not the only woman there.Of course, boys will be boys, so it’s not long before the group turns to drinking and games and then more drinking, so that’s when the toxic masculinity really jumps out.The tension is only worsened by the presence of Dylan (Ben Hunter), a brash, broad-chested alpha-male type who seems to get pleasure out of pushing people’s buttons.Oh, and did we mention that Irene’s ex, Sam (Harley Wilson) also shows up, apparently at Louie’s request?
Or that we, as an audience, frequently see Louie lying to Irene’s face, and regularly sneaking her some sort of mysterious sedative?Yeah, things only get darker from there… It’s worth noting here that much of the set-up of Birdeater reminds us of another film we’ve previously covered: the dark Argentian satire Horesplay, which follows an all-male holiday at a vacation rental that spirals out of control, walking the razor-thin line between homoeroticism and homophobia.There’s definitely some of those themes at play here, too—it’s impossible not to see the homoerotic angle to some of these male friendships, especially in the ways Louie and his other friends seem to both revere and fear the ruggedly handsome wildcard Dylan.What happens when a group of hot.
