Albatross is a new psychological thriller that starts with two men sitting on a beach sharing a meal. They see the titular bird and wonder if it’s a good omen because it’s been following them. One comments how it’s waiting to die and the other ponders who would kill such a thing. Written and directed by Myles Yaksich, Albatross is set in New York City in 1959, where an interracial couple goes to a dinner party.

Various other characters are introduced with a glimpse into their lives and questioning social normalcy leads to clashes in points of view throughout dinner. As the conversation continues, something seems off about the elderly couple hosting the dinner. There’s an ongoing sense of uneasiness and dread. The director uses tracking shots to give a forced perspective of how vast this house is by making it feel like you’re walking around it.

Unfortunately, the script only scratches the surface of these pressing issues before they pontificate about the next topic. The plot meanders until getting to the point way too late in the film. Much of the suspense is built up for little to no payoff. The entire thing felt so disappointingly anticlimactic. The slight hints of horror elements are ditched by the finale, too. All the characters are one-dimensional with only one or two attributes that define them. So many characters are introduced it got to the point where I questioned why certain people were in it because they didn’t affect the plot whatsoever.

Romaine Waite is Thomas Miller, an African American aspiring writer. He pitches his idea for a new book he’s working on to get published. Katherine Gauthier is Elizabeth Miller, his girlfriend or possibly his wife, it is never specified. She stands by her man but doesn’t contribute much past that. David Huband is Bertram Fontaine, Elizabeth’s uncle and Thomas’ editor. Thom Nyhuus is Kenneth Parks. He’s a homosexual in therapy. David Keeley is Dr. Lloyd Burke, his therapist. Sarah Orenstein is Carol Burke, his wife and she’s a painter. Lastly, Jill Frappier is Barbara, her mother. All the performances were bland and I don’t understand anyone’s motivation. To make matter worse, there are no stakes nor does anyone have any agency.

Overall, Albatross starts strong but loses its way by the time credits roll. Themes of racial/social inequality, society’s tradition vs unconventional social behaviour, and interracial/homosexual relationships are mentioned and then brushed to the side to make room for a nonsensical main plot that diverges in scattered directions before concluding. The vapid characters aren’t remotely likable or interesting and some should have been written out of the script to make room for others to grow.

Albatross goes from suspenseful to predictable rather quickly and it’s just not very interesting. I wouldn’t recommend this when there are much better movies out there to enjoy. And remember, an albatross can be defined as a large sea bird or something causing you massive problems you either can’t escape or prevents you from your desires. Yeah, that sums up this film alright.

4 out of 10