By Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/13/24 – The talented and critically acclaimed Michael Emery positively kills in LGBTQ horror film Birder, written by Amnon Lourie, and directed by the esteemed Nate Dushku. The edgy film follows bird watcher Kristian Brooks (Emery) as he infiltrates a queer campground on a secluded lake in New Hampshire, using any disguise necessary to lure locals into his sinister obsessions. In this chilling and erotic nightmare, the concept of consent takes on a deadly twist.
To help bring said deadly twist to life is none other than the charming Michael Emery, who has starred in Legendary like All My Children, As the World Turns, and Monk. Emery gave himself completely to the role of a deceptively sly Birdwatcher in Birder. He reveals, “When I first read this script Kristian stood out to me so much. The color and layers of the character, I was just so excited about the role. For me, Kristian was the most complex character I’ve ever played, I’ve ever read. I was excited as the artist to bring out all these different levels that were either in front of me, hidden, or new that I could bring out in him, and Nate just let me go and I dove headfirst into the water and into the character.”
Click below for our exclusive interview:
Picture it: You and your friends are having an adult only weekend, and someone that’s taking kink to the extreme violently ruins the fun. In every sense of the phrase!
Writer/Director pair Nate Dushku and Amnon Lourie disclose how this dynamic story came to life and some of the deeper themes’ audiences are intended to experience. Lourie explains, “Nate and I are a married couple, and have been together for 20 years. We like to travel together and there is this really awesome stretch of river in Vermont that we have been going to for years and people get naked on the river. It’s generally very queer- mostly gay men but some other folks come through and everyone gets naked and has a good time. We were out there with about 12 friends years back, and we said, ‘wouldn’t it be cool to do a movie here? Maybe like gay clue.’ But then the Pandemic happened, and gay clue became something of a challenge. We then decided to do something a little simpler and out in the woods. So, we kind of germinated this dark fable”
Dusku adds to this the consent dynamics that are also highlighted through the film. He continues, “Queer Horror or Queer Trauma, it’s often a more lived experience. In the work that we do, we really like to dip our feet into dark truths about the experiences we have in the world. This film is kind of an exploration of consent dynamics in a kink friendly or dom/sub space. The lead character goes through this sort of odyssey with this community and gains the trust of each person and lores them into his kink. We decided that we wanted the audience to join the odyssey that has a lot of darkness, some humor, and is very sexy.”
Michael Emery’s gripping portrayal of the sinister bird watcher captivates audiences with its complexity and intensity. In the same vein, Dushku and Lourie’s personal experiences and collaborative vision infuse the film with authenticity and depth, making Birder a must-watch for its thrilling, dark, and provocative storytelling. Please check out Birder, streaming now!
