‘Earlybird’ Review – Martin Kaszubowski’s Charming Indie Embraces Taking Chances

How do we react when our back is against the wall, when there’s nothing left to lose? Martin Kaszubowski’s latest film, Earlybird, explores these questions and more as it follows Joshua Koopman as Michael, the struggling owner of a local theater who only has a couple of months left on the lease until the rent gets raised. After finding out that he likely won’t be able to afford the new rate, he is encouraged by his wife to start putting on more personal shows to ride out his tenure. It’s this push from her that brings new life not only to the theater but to Michael as well. Instead of wallowing in defeat, he’s bursting with creativity that inspires the rest of the crew at the theater and reinvigorates their passion for the stage.

The cast is rounded out by Julie Pope as Micheal’s wife, Sarah, alongside Amanda Platt, Chloe Skoczen, Zachary Krueger, and Jesse James Montoya as the actors and workers of the theater. The real supporting standout here is Chloe Skoczen as Courtney, the jaded actress who is vehemently opposed to the new direction Michael is taking the theater after her first performance of Cat War, an original play that calls for her to wear a catsuit and meow in between her lines. Her performance pushes up against Koopman’s Michael better than anyone else throughout the film. She shifts the tone of the story once she accepts the new vision and opens up the imaginations of the other workers as they come up with more original plays to do before the end of the lease.

While this may be a fairly straightforward story, the themes Kaszubowski’s script explores are still potent. Taking risks is tough, and sometimes it takes running out of safe options to pursue what you actually want to do. Michael didn’t want to own a theater just to put on the same old shows every year, but to put forth interesting and unique plays that may otherwise not get shown. He finally gets to chase that dream when there’s no other path left to take. It’s risky, and it’s the right thing to do whether it works or not. This combined with Sarah’s initial nudge and overwhelming support has a lot to teach us about how to live our lives. Support the ones around you to reach for their dreams, and make the most of every opportunity you have to chase them. At a certain point, however, Michael shows that this can go too far. He gets a big head and starts making decisions that are only beneficial for him, not everyone else involved.

There are a few character choices that are a little puzzling and don’t quite work in the context of the rest of the film. The tone in which lines are delivered doesn’t match what is being said, and there is not a ton of follow-through on these interactions outside of the isolated scenes between certain characters. A few moments here and there stand out as not fitting with the rest of the movie, but this is really the only thing you can knock it for. It looks and sounds good, and the setting of the theater is pretty neat. It’s a more intimate space, with seating on three sides of the room instead of just one zone all facing the same way.

Earlybird is a solid indie drama with a lot of heart that explores incredibly relatable themes like when to take risks and the best ways to support those you love. Sometimes it takes a dire and stressful situation to get us to take those risks, but in the end, it’s important to try and make something out of the tough position you may be in.

Earlybird is currently available On Demand courtesy of Good Deed Entertainment. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nc_Eg0nwR8]