Blackbird On Amazon Video

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

(Updated September 1, 2025)

Have you seen the movie “Blackbird” on Amazon Video starring Susan Sarandon and Sam Neill?

“Blackbird” is a stirring and intimate drama that premiered at TIFF in 2019 and arrived on Amazon Prime Video in 2020. Featuring an Oscar-winning ensemble—Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Sam Neill—it delves into family bonds, terminal illness, and the dignity of choice—all within a single, unforgettable weekend.

An image of Susan Sarandon on Blackbird that is on Amazon Video.

3. Plot Summary

In Blackbird, Lily (Susan Sarandon) summons her loved ones to a peaceful beach house for one final family gathering as she decides to end her battle with a degenerative illness on her own terms. Joined by her husband, Paul (Sam Neill), and daughters, Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska), tensions surface and old wounds resurface during this emotionally charged farewell.

5. Cast & Characters

  • Susan Sarandon shines as Lily, navigating her final days with grace and control.
  • Kate Winslet (Jennifer) and Mia Wasikowska (Anna) portray conflicted daughters grappling with their mother’s choice.
  • Sam Neill adds depth as Lily’s compassionate spouse.
  • Rounding out the ensemble: Rainn Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Anson Boon

The movie is a remake of the 2014 Danish film “Silent Heart.”

Critical Reception

  • Roger Ebert’s reviewer noted: “The final moments are genuinely touching,” though he criticized the plot’s structure as contrived.
  • Entertainment Weekly described it as “devastating… feels a little manipulative and thinly told in the end” EW.com.
  • Chicago Sun-Times praised: “Susan Sarandon at the top of her game as a woman taking charge of her death,” calling the melodrama moving and the cast outstanding.”
  • Wikipedia offers a balanced view, presenting mixed reviews with critiques of its storytelling, yet applauding the cast.

As Lily, Susan Sarandon delivers a breathtaking performance—her decision to end her battle with ALS on her own terms is both heartbreaking and empowering. The film, streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, offers no easy answers, only raw emotions and the fragile beauty of family coming together one last time.

1.6K+Shares

I'm Brenda, creator of Cozy Little House. I live with my cats, Ivy, Simon, and Daisy. I graduated from journalism school with a degree in professional writing and won awards for feature writing. I practice gratitude and enjoy my solitude. My interpretation of life is that the glass is always half-full.

Similar Posts

24 Comments

  1. I think I’ll put Longmire on my list. I’m catching up on posts, so hoping to hear some good news about your ankle.

  2. Charlotte Hutcheson says:

    I just finished Blackbird this morning…enjoyed it very much…it was sad. I was really touched by the two daughters lying next to their mother while she died…that was a great scene. Thanks for telling us about it.

  3. Netflix is showing Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, if you are looking for a good movie. I just saw it at the movies with my sister yesterday. It is just a treasure. I think you might enjoy it. No guns or explosions, no cursing, just a touching story about a cleaning lady who dreams of owning a Dior dress.

  4. I’m the opposite when it comes to TV watching. I like to watch many different shows and wait a week to watch another episode – the way we used to have to do it!

    2. Wow, good for you. I’ve gotten so used to binge watching, it drives me crazy to have to wait now, lol.

  5. Glad your ankle is getting better. Dissolvable stitches can be tricky sometimes with thinner skin areas. Blackbird sounds like a great watch. Happy Friday.

    1. It felt like needles against my ankle bone.

  6. Absorbable/dissolvable stitches are used internally to close incisions below the surface of the skin, with “traditional” non-dissolvable stitches used on the surface to close incisions and removed by a nurse/doctor during a post-op appointment.
    Although uncomfortable and initially worrisome, glad to hear the issue was simply absorbable/dissolvable stitches that hadn’t absorbed/dissolved. That happens fairly often, especially in areas of the body where the skin is thin (like an ankle).
    Also, there are many different types of absorbable/dissolvable stitches (made from different materials), and the ones commonly used in orthopedic surgeries generally take the longest to absorb/dissolve.
    Funny thing — absorbable/dissolvable stitches are often used to reduce scarring on the skin surface.

    Hoping your ankle feels better, the incision area continues to heal well, and your PT moves forward.
    Stay safe, stay well, stay hydrated!

    1. The physical therapist is coming tomorrow morning.

  7. Yes.. I LOVED Longmire so much! I actually missed Walt for a long time after the series ended.. he was like my friend.. and same with Henry! I’ll be watching the entire thing again very soon! Sorry you are having the pain still.. I had the same thing happen with my carpal tunnel surgery.. they didn’t get all the stitches out (though they said they did).. but one little one remained and was embedded and got infected! I kept insisting it was infected and event sent them a picture… and finally I INSISTED that I come in so they could look at it! Geesh. It is so annoying when you have to just take care of it yourself. Hope all goes wel today at the doc’s office. We haven’t seen a drop of rain here for months it seems! Marilyn

    1. We had not had rain for what seemed like forever. Finally rain the last few days. My poor plants loved it I’m sure.

  8. Elizabeth says:

    So sorry you have to go see doc again…and for the reason of stitches left in…hope that is something fixable!! I grow SO WEARY of incompetents…in any business here these days…we would have been fired for such in our working days, as to the kind of things most careless people do these days!!

    1. There were disposable stitches underneath and they worked their way through my skin. That’s what was hurting.

  9. Oh, I hope they will find the pain causing culprit and take care of it immediately.
    I’ve got to figure out how to set up Amazon Video – you’ve been watching so many interesting movies and series.

      1. Brenda, thank you so much!!!

  10. Annette Tracy says:

    Let’s hope it’s an easy fix and the pain will be gone! Before you know it you will
    be out on your patio with snippers sprucing things up!

    I had my first cataract surgery last Monday. Doing great. She said after my next surgery on 8/8 I might not even need my glasses to drive and just need readers! I can’t even imagine!

    1. I was the same way. Driving without glasses is strange since I have always had them driving. Now I can wear the sunglasses from the stores not the optimist. It does take a little time to get used to that.

    2. I wore glasses all my life until I had cataract surgery. Now I don’t need them to drive anymore. I just use readers to read and write.

  11. Joan Kurth says:

    I hope the doctor can help you today. Isn’t My Chart a neat thing? I use mine a lot. Best wishes for a good weekend.

  12. The case of the missed stitches, geez. That’s what happens when assistants who are often the ones who remove stitches are rushing to get from one patient to the next. I hope they get them ALL out this time, and that they really examine the area to make sure. It almost sounds like your skin was healing around the stitches, so I hope they put some kind of numbing medication on your ankle before they go in to remove those stitches so it doesn’t hurt.

    1. They were disposable stitches my body rejected.

Comments are closed.