Daisy Ridley & director Rachel Lambert bring us the quietest film of the year with Sometimes I Think About Dying, a take on melancholy, social awkwardness, and the mundane life cycle of sleep, eat, work, repeat that’s sure to resonate with many.
Ridley brings us a brilliantly understated performance as Fran. Who, besides leading a seemingly understated life herself, trudging along day by day, has one huge thought on her mind, death. As the title of the film spells out, Fran is in a bit of an existential spin, one not too dissimilar to Margot Robbie’s Barbie in the biggest film of last year, however, that is where the similarities end, as while Barbie’s existential death trip was as loud as can be, Fran’s could not be quieter.
She spends the workdays sitting at her desk, wondering how she might die, intrigued almost by the different ways she could meet her end, with her most consistent fantasy hanging from the crane that looms over her office building. An office filled with those more outspoken and bubblier than Fran, and whom Fran has never really felt any connection to. That is until Robert (Dave Merheje) arrives, an outgoing, movie buff who attempts to pull Fran out of her mind and into real life (with varying degrees of success).
While the film’s first half does a good job of setting the scene of Fran’s life, it struggles to land on any real resolution or emotional punch by its end, making the finale feel a tad rushed and undercooked (especially with a runtime under 90 minutes). This is through no fault of the performances, especially Ridley, who carries all with her fantastically nuanced performance (she barely has a line of dialogue in the film’s first act). This is less of a re-brand and more of an actual introduction for Ridley following her time in a galaxy far, far away. This showing is far away from that of Rey, letting us know from a mere micro-expression just how uncomfortable Fran is in any given social situation, as well as taking down her co-workers’ exuberance with some great deadpan humour. Ridley carries the entire weight of this personal story.
One that will no doubt resonate with many, from the work meetings (hands up If you’ve done that ice breaker before) to the objectively hilarious (and soul-crushing) office chatter that can be heard in the background of most scenes. There’s at least a tiny bit here for most.
Verdict
This is a ‘slice of life’ type of film, one that by the time the credits have rolled may leave you either pondering your own life or wondering what the entire point of the whole thing was (it will be the first if you come into it on the back of a double hangover). It will, however, leave you with a sense of unfinished business, mainly in Fran’s emotional arc, one that I could’ve done with another half an hour on, both to tie up the story and to revel in Ridley’s performance.
