Zora (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) cannot come to terms with the mortality of her teenage daughter Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), with whom she shares a sizeable house in a leafy London suburb. Barely able to sit up, fully dependant a wheelchair and hoist for mobility, and with oxygen tubes permanently attached to her face, the titular character is a lot more stoical. Tuesday constantly smiles, and has decided to establish a friendly dialogue with the Grim Reaper, here embodied by a morbid, shape-shifting macaw. He is capable of morphing from the size of a budgie to that of a horse in a couple of seconds. The creature speaks with a male voice (Arinzé Kene) so deep and muffled at times it’s hardly comprehensible. Plus it’s covered in a black slimy substance, and its feet often stick to the ground. Yet Tuesday isn’t afraid. In reality, she finds comfort in his company

The mother is far less inclined to have a conversation with the eerie harbinger of death, in particular after it promises both characters that this will be Tuesday’s final night. So she attacks the bird, just like any mother wanting to protect their child would, unaware of its supernatural powers. The bird subdues the angry woman in no time, easily “beak-butting” her to the ground. But Zora is determined to salvage her daughter, so she picks a dangerous fight with this not-so-tropical bird. She is prepared to inflict shocking violence on her foe, with very serious repercussions. Nurse Billie (Leah Harvey) is terrified by the strange developments, yet there is little she can do. Tuesday remains concerned with the wellbeing of the creature, in a sober demonstration of acceptance of her fate.

In the second half of this 111-minute film, after a very peculiar twist, Zora develops a physical connection with the creature. She too acquires supernatural powers, but the outcome isn’t exactly what she expected. Whatever your coping strategies, the death of a loved one remains painful.

Trauma is often divided into five phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance (in this specific order). Zora is stuck somewhere between phase one and two, while Tuesday has successfully sailed the first four and finally reached redemption, being firmly in the fifth and final phase. Ultimately, the frail adolescent is real grown-up here.

Louis-Dreyfus is hypnotic and heart-wrenching as a helpless mother scrambling to salvage the little fragments of life inside her only child. She asks Tuesday: “where does it hurt”. The teen retorts: “everywhere”. Zora’s realisation that pain is not vicarious is devastating. There is nothing that she can do in order to alleviate Tuesday’s physical agony, and there is no mechanism allowing the suffering to be transferred upon her. So she ends up saying and doing silly things, her sense of judgement muddled by her intense anguish, distress and guilt. Good people make stupid decisions with the noble purpose of protecting their loved others.

This is an effective fantasy drama blending impressive CGI, warm and elegant cinematography, and strong performances. Great attention is paid to sound engineering: the sound of breathing becomes a gauge of life. Tuesday is a mature debut feature by Croatian-born and London-based filmmaker Daina Oniunas-Pusić. It will move young people and adults alike.

Tuesday is is in the Official Competition of the 2nd Mediterrane Film Festival, in Malta. In cinemas on Friday, August 9th.