Sometimes I Think About Dying
January 26th, 2024
MOVIE: SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING
STARRING: DAISY RIDLEY, DAVE MERHEJE, PARVESH CHEENA
DIRECTED BY: RACHEL LAMBERT
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
When I was in elementary school there was a girl in my class named Maura Ahern. Although I had been in school with her since kindergarten, the most I ever heard her speak was saying, “here” during roll call. It was the faintest of “here’s”, almost in a whisper, and although I saw her nearly every day for nine years, she rarely spoke. There are people like this out there. Not much explanation behind their timid and quiet demeanor but it’s certainly a far cry from my loud and blusterous self. The lead character in Sometimes I Think About Dying reminded me a lot of Maura. Daisy Ridley plays a shy woman, working in a business office, keeping to herself, and fading into the background of life. It’s this distance and quiet nature that makes Sometimes I Think About Dying difficult to hold onto. Here is a movie where not liking the lead character makes it difficult to like the film.
The protagonist is Fran (Ridley in a cold role), often wearing muted-tone sweaters and zoning out while doing her mundane work tasks. Nobody talks to her at the office and inside her mind, she’s either thinking about dying or her body lying among a pile of wood on a beach. When one employee retires, newcomer Robert (Dave Merheje) takes over in that position, and through an awkward office introduction, Fran eventually has a mild conversation with him. They go to a movie together. He loves it. She does not. And although the two seem on different wavelengths, this is a rare connection in Fran’s often lonely existence.
From a story perspective, director Rachel Lambert has an idea for the kind of movie she’s making, an independent film about isolated people finding one another. What writers Stefanie Abel Horowitz, Kevin Armento, and Katy Wright Mead (an egregious three writers for something so slight) forget is that something needs to propel the narrative. It’s clear from scene one that Fran is awkward, yet nothing is revealed when she’s alone, forcing the viewer to spend time with someone who won’t even approach breaking out of her shell. It’s frustrating and feels like our time is not rewarded.
On the acting side of things, Ridley plays the part well, often avoiding eye contact, and fully committed to the role. When the story expands to Fran and Robert going on a second date there is an amusing moment, as the two arrive at the party of a waitress they meet at a diner. It’s here where Fran cannot hide, as the group decides on playing a murder mystery game- a sort of adult version of hide n’ seek- and the shell peels a little, but not nearly enough to truly know or care who this person is.
At the center is a well-constructed story of a lonely person, two lonely people finding one another, and connecting as best as they can. With the trio of writers, the narrative would be well suited for flashbacks, narration, or even more scenes to give us reason to feel for Fran. Instead, Sometimes I Think About Dying is an impossible film to recommend and feels better suited for a short story. It’s not a good sign when the viewer is daydreaming just as much as the main character. It means you’re thinking about turning the movie off.
SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING IS NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2ND, 2024.
2 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
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