Before reviewing Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot, and again afterwards, I had to search online and hunt through my various books examining the themes common in H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction. I wanted to see if there was any mention of talking birds revealing the secrets of forgotten cults before moving forward. I knew this filmmaker’s idea came from The Notes and Commonplace Book of H.P. Lovecraft. While there are no specific mentions of a parrot in the book, the ideas are certainly there.
The most telling lines from the public-domain scan are the following. On page three, it reads: “As dinosaurs were once surpassed by mammals, so will man-mammal be surpassed by insect or bird—fall of man before the new race.” Page eight offers two tantalizing clues. The line that inspired this work reads, “[A] talking bird of great longevity—tells secret long afterward,” but I suspect Fortin drew upon more than that single note. Another speaks of “Ancient and unknown ruins—strange and immortal bird who speaks in a language horrifying and revelatory to the explorers.”
Those seeds work well to tell the tale of The Parrot, which introduces Lauren and Lucas, who inherit their aunt’s home and all the secrets lurking on every wall. From disturbing family portraits to slides showing some lost tribe in the middle of a rite, what’s offered is exactly that, a tease. I’m interested enough to want to know more. With well-designed camera angles creating a sense of unease and desaturated colours suggesting a once-upon-a-foggy-night atmosphere, a bit of that New England vibe can be seen and heard. As this short is the first in a series rooted in Old Quebec, I should amend that and say this world belongs to the Olde World of Canada.
Of course, when the star is quite literally a creature covered in striking red and blue feathers, what it has to say isn’t about home, but rather the owners who possessed and perhaps abused this animal. The presentation is as stylish as those television series I saw in the 90s, namely Friday the 13th: The Series and Poltergeist: The Legacy, and this entry fits right in! Although the credits don’t identify the camera technology used to capture the dimly lit sets, the resulting imagery captures close-up details sharply. This matters because the finale focuses on a haunting, all-too-human reveal.
However, as this work is only one story out of three, and the individual short may now be making the film-festival rounds, what’s offered only makes me want more!
The big question is, when will a wider release happen? Bell Canada currently has the exclusive release, limiting access to subscribers through Channel 1 or the Fibe TV app. If this trilogy is to earn its wings, it must see some kind of wider distribution. Heck, I’d even lay down some serious clams for a home-video release just to see if all three stories somehow connect.
5 Stars out of 5
The Unearthly Notes Trailer (Not Just The Parrot)
