The Big Picture

Julia Louis-Dreyfus excels in the film
Tuesday
, exploring grief and love in a unique and whimsical way.

Tuesday
is a fantasy dramedy in which Death comes in the form of a giant parrot.
Daina Oniunas-Pusic’s debut film features outstanding performances by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lola Petticrew.

Few people have had as impressive of a career in television as Julia Louis-Dreyfus has. Between Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Veep, Louis-Dreyfus is tied for the most Emmy wins for a performer (8, tied with Cloris Leachman), and with Veep, she became the first person to win six Emmys for the same role in a series. But it’s high time that Louis-Dreyfus gets deserved appreciation for her film work. Beyond her work with Pixar and as a scene-stealer in recent MCU work, Louis-Dreyfus has wowed in her work with Nicole Holofcener, such as Enough Said and last year’s You Hurt My Feelings—both films that focused on the very honest, relatable conflicts that arise in relationships. But quite possibly Louis-Dreyfus’ best film role so far comes in Daina Oniunas-Pusić’s fantastical dramedy Tuesday, a strange, yet emotionally resonant vision that explores grief in a wholly unique way.

Tuesday Tuesday is a fantasy drama film by writer-director Daina O. Pusic, which initially premiered in 2023. Zora, while caring for her terminally ill daughter, Tuesday, is visited by Death – in the form of a parrot that can change its size. To help Zora cope with what’s to come, Death takes her on an emotional journey to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of life.Release Date 2024-00-00 Director Daina O. Pusic Runtime 111 minutes

What Is ‘Tuesday’ About?

Tuesday begins from the perspective of a bird, which can grow to the size of a human or can shrink to rest on a person’s nose. From the bird’s POV, we hear the static that it always hears, almost like an out-of-tune radio broadcasting people calling for help. We come to find out that this bird is flying to those who are about to die, and with a wave of the bird’s wing, it grants them death. Yes, this static-hearing, size-changing bird is Death (voiced by Arinzé Kene).

As Death works its way through the backlog of people who call for it, he meets a sick teen girl named Tuesday (Lola Petticrew). Yet Tuesday can quickly tell that this is no ordinary bird and she’s not ready to die, so she tells Death a joke. Unexpectedly, Death laughs and agrees not to kill Tuesday until her mother Zora (Louis-Dreyfus) comes home, so she can say goodbye. Zora loves her daughter, but she struggles to see her in this state. However, when Tuesday tells her mother that she is going to die that very night, Zora has to reckon with the fact that Death comes for us all and that it’s time to say goodbye to the person closest to her.

Related Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies & Nicole Holofcener on ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ and Self-Criticism They also discuss what it’s really like filming in New York City, relating to their characters, and more.

Of course, this is just the beginning of the journey that Oniunas–Pusić’s story goes down, and part of the joy is seeing where this absurd story will go next. While this is very much a rumination on loss, the difficulties of letting go, and what we sacrifice for the ones we love, it also manages to stay relatively light in its handling of such weighty topics. Even though we know Death is literally waiting by, these moments between Death and Tuesday, or Zora and Tuesday are precious enough that we admire the time we have while this character is still alive. Death is unexpected and odd, which Tuesday plays into in fitting fashion.

Oniunas–Pusić’s script is also wonderfully assured, and despite this being a film that literally starts with a bird that is the actual manifestation of death, the film never slows down to explain what the hell is going on. Either you buy that this giant bird can kill anyone it comes in contact with and that’s how death works, or you’re simply in the wrong theater. The majority of Tuesday takes place within Zora and Tuesday’s home, and yet, this story feels expansive in its approach, hinting at larger issues going on in the outside world, while again, letting us put the pieces together. Without a doubt, weird shit goes on in this film, and Oniunas–Pusić never holds our hand in exploring this world. Death is confusing, and there’s no one that’s going to explain what the hell is happening.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lola Petticrew Are Fantastic in ‘Tuesday’

This is also a film that relies on the performances of Louis-Dreyfus, Pettigrew, and…a giant-ass bird. But the dynamics that Oniunas–Pusić finds to play with amongst these three are always compelling and entertaining. Watching Tuesday and Death teach each other about the world is surprisingly charming, even though they were talking about Tuesday’s death just a few minutes prior. Zora with Tuesday together provides some tender, beautiful moments with a mother who knows that time is running short. Yet it’s the moments between Death and Zora that hit the hardest, particularly when the two discuss what happens after we die. Not only are these scenes remarkably moving and fascinating to watch play out, they hit on some wonderful deeper truths about life and what our lives mean once they’re over. For a movie that follows a bird that has an affinity for the music of Ice Cube, Tuesday proves that it contains multitudes.

But those three performances are what makes Tuesday such a welcome surprise. Kene voices Death as someone who understands the weight of what it’s doing, yet knows that this is something that must happen to everyone and often acts accordingly. Similarly, Petticrew’s Tuesday almost immediately views Death with the fear of what is to come next, the acceptance that she’s ready to go, and the worry of leaving her mother alone. Petticrew’s performance makes us want this delightful kid to keep going, but through the pain in her eyes, we know her time has come—giving us once more the perspective of how Death must feel.

As this story progresses though, Zora starts to become more central and important to this tale, and Louis-Dreyfus handles all the twists and turns with grace and perfection. There’s an overwhelming love tinged with pain that we can feel in her every action, a feeling that it becomes clear she’s simply gotten used to after all this time. As Zora starts to realize that she can’t hold off Death, Louis-Dreyfus’ performance becomes a tremendous feat: desperate, unusual, heartbreaking, and bizarrely funny in equal measure. We’ve always known that Louis-Dreyfus is a great actress, but in Tuesday’s more harrowing, heart-rending scenes, we see a level of her skills that we’ve never seen before. Louis-Dreyfus is subtly excruciating in her grief here, and it’s marvelous to watch her work in a story that allows her to play with such a range of feelings.

Daina Oniunas-Pusić Is an Exciting Filmmaker to Watch With This Debut
Image via A24

Equally as impressive is how Oniunas–Pusić approaches this story with such confidence for a feature directorial debut.Tuesday isn’t exactly a straightforward, easy concept, with a narrative that goes in all sorts of wild directions and emotions. But Oniunas–Pusić handles all of this—as well as a CGI bird—conscientiously and without wavering in this bold fantasy. From the jarring opening to the extremely powerful final moments, Oniunas–Pusić shows immense talent behind the camera and on the page, and certainly presents herself as a remarkable filmmaker worth watching.

Tuesday’s subtlety and often magnificent look at death makes it one of the true smaller gems of the year. Louis-Dreyfus, Petticrew, and Kene are all outstanding, while it’s hard to not watch the film and not get excited about what Oniunas–Pusić will do next. In a year when A24 has already given us some of the best films of 2024, including I Saw the TV Glow, Problemista, and Love Lies Bleeding, Tuesday deserves to be included among that impressive lineup of 2024’s best.

REVIEW Tuesday Tuesday, from writer-director Daina Oniunas-Pusić, is a wild, emotional debut exploring death and loss, with two excellent performances by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lola Petticrew.Release Date 2024-00-00 Director Daina O. Pusic Runtime 111 minutes ProsDaina Oniunas-Pusi? turns a strange concept into a genuinely moving story about grief and loss.Julia Louis-Dreyfus gives maybe her best performance yet as a mother having to say goodbye to her daughter.Oniunas-Pusi? explores death with a lightness and care that makes this film never overwhelming in its sadness. ConsAt nearly two hours, Tuesday runs the risk of belaboring its points in some instances.

Tuesday opens in New York on June 7, and nationwide in the U.S. on June 14. Click below for showtimes near you.

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