Blackbird (2007 film)

Blackbird is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Adam Rapp and starring Gillian Jacobs, Paul Sparks, and Danny Hoch. It was adapted from a play written by Rapp.^[2][3][4]

Blackbird
Directed by	Adam Rapp
Screenplay by	Adam Rapp
Based on	Blackbird 2004 play by Adam Rapp[1]
Produced by	Mark Fallon
Starring	Gillian Jacobs Paul Sparks Danny Hoch
Cinematography	Richard Rutkowski
Edited by	Michael Taylor
Music by	Dawn Landes
Production company	Blackbird Project
Release date	March 12, 2007 (2007-03-12) (SXSW)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$475,000

It debuted at South by Southwest^[4] and went on to screen at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Charlotte Film Festival, where it won "Best Narrative Feature".^[5]

Plot

In 1990s New York City, teen runaway and stripper Froggy is caught in the throes of heroin addiction as she falls in love with a fellow junkie, war veteran Baylis. The couple finds comfort in each other, yet they are already far too deep in a wild downward spiral. The possibility of redemption arises, with hope for some semblance of a "normal life", but Bayliss and Froggy are unable to find the strength and control to clean themselves up. Their path leads inexorably toward mutual self-destruction.

Cast

• Gillian Jacobs as Froggy
• Paul Sparks as Baylis
• Danny Hoch as Pinchback
• Michael Shannon as Murl
• Annie Parisse as Angie
• Stephen Adly Guirgis as Mercado
• Anthony Katagas as Close
• Danny Mastrogiorgio as Kent

Critical reception

Screen Daily said the "film treads a well-worn path", but the "superb performances of Jacobs and Sparks keep the viewer going for a long while."^[4]