A feisty bird plays a role as a woman copes with her grief in Director Theodore Melfi’s comedic-drama, The Starling.
Melfi’s film tells the story of Lilly and Jack, a couple who have suffered a great loss. While Jack struggles to move forward, Lilly focuses her attentions on an annoying bird that has nested beside their home and will not go away despite her best efforts to expel it.
On September 25, after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Melfi discussed the making of The Starling during a Q&A moderated by Director David E. Talbert (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey).
During the conversation, Talbert told Melfi that The Starling was a “burst of sunshine” and asked why he makes these types of films. Melfi replied, “That's all I'm attracted to... I read the script and said, ‘Essentially, this story is about a couple figuring out how to move forward, to find hope again... I think that's a message people need to hear. We’re in a collective grief, and I think cinema has an opportunity to shine light and share hope… and so I make no apologies about…what I do.”
Melfi’s other directorial credits include the feature films Hidden Figures, St. Vincent and Winding Roads. He has been a DGA member since 2005.
You can listen to Melfi's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.