Melissa McCarthy was enticed by the “messy” nature of the screenplay for The Starling.

Directed by Theodore Melfi, the new Netflix film follows Lilly, as played by McCarthy, and Jack (Chris O’Dowd), a married couple who suffer a devastating loss.

But to make Lilly’s troubles worse, a starling nesting in her backyard begins to harass her, causing her to go on a complex and emotional journey to expel the bird.

“I loved this story with my whole heart,” she said of the script in a press statement. “I laughed and cried, I found myself at times angry and conflicted and then rooting for and loving these characters throughout the whole script. It was messy, just like life.”

The Starling is now showing on Netflix, and in light of world events over the course of the past year, McCarthy is certain now is the perfect time for audiences to watch the movie.

“This film is evergreen but it does feel like especially now, after this last year and a half of uncertainty, loss, and anger, that we are realising mental health issues are an equal opportunity condition,” the actress continued. “Releasing The Starling now feels right. Not because it deals with tough subjects, but because it shows you that we can come through it, probably not in the way you expected – but that there is a path. Also, the idea that compassion can come from strangers as well as loved ones is something we all need to be reminded of.”

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