Skip to main content

Sometimes I Think About Dying 2023 (Sundance)

 


From the opening of this film, Lambert sets the tone by establishing the early morning landscape in a small town. Fran (Daisy Ridley) wakes up, goes to work, and sits in her cubicle all day. The aspect ratio being 4:3 also compliments the space used as a room with four walls. So with a few technical components, the viewer is already in Fran’s head, sitting at the desk with her. For those who have worked in an office space, one can relate to the bland and uninteresting aspects of sitting at your desk day in and day out. And yes, your mind does start to wander. But in Fran’s case, she thinks about ways to die. Fran is detached from everyone in the office and keeps to herself. The score is almost dreamlike as it accompanies the dull moments of office life and her so-called uninteresting life. It counters dark thoughts and creates a sense of hopefulness. 

When Robert (Dave Merheje) steps into the office as a new hire, Fran’s world is turned upside down. And that glimmer of faith in humanity is restored. Robert takes a liking to Fran. It’s an extrovert pulling the introvert out of their shell little by little. Merheje and Ridley have lovely chemistry, even though Ridley is playing a rigid and more reserved character. Through Lambert’s direction, effective editing and sound design, we get to see how social anxiety feels through Fran. The film feels so quiet and intimate in the office setting that it may feel like nothing happens, but the characters keep you invested. Ridley’s performance is heart-wrenching, and the third act is when we appreciate the writing by Kevin Armento, Stefanie Abel Horowitz, and Katy Wright-Mead. Towards the end of the film, there are conversations about relationships and waiting for the right time that hit you emotionally. Lambert expresses that if you wait too long to do something, life will pass you by and take those years away. 

Review by: Amanda Guarragi 

4/5

#movies #films #moviereviews #filmreviews #1stReviews #A24 #DaisyRidley #DavidMerheje #RachelLamber #femalefilmmakers #Sundance2023 

Popular posts from this blog

Boss Level Film Review

       Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation.  Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Godzilla vs. Kong Film Review

         Godzilla versus Kong is the action movie we have been longing for since all major blockbuster films pushed back their release dates. After three solo films between Kong and Godzilla, we finally see the two titans clash on film for the first time in what is the culmination of the Universal Monsterverse. The story is split nicely in two as team Kong and team Godzilla each have their own mission. Team Kong is on a secret mission to the center of the earth to uncover the mystery of the titans. This team consists of Dr. Nathan, Dr. Ilene, Maia, and the Youngest character in the film, Jia. Team Godzilla consists of Madison, Josh, and Bernie who are also on a secret mission, to infiltrate Apex Cybernetics with the theory that they are up to no good and are the reason why Godzilla has been acting up recently. The dynamics of the teams are well balanced as the Kong story provides us with serious and more action-heavy bits in contrast to the Apex team story that ...

Inside Out 2 | Review by: Stefano Bove

  Nine years ago, Pixar introduced us to Riley, a young girl who is trying to grow with change happening with herself and her family. Her emotions; joy, anger, sadness, fear and disgust help her through these difficult times.   Now two years, Riley is 13 and is going through new life changes physically and emotionally as she tries to grip with the reality that the rest of her life relies on how the next weekend goes. All of these changes spark new emotions to grow inside of her.  It is a tough time for Riley that she must overcome. It is a snapshot in time that is probably a big emotional trigger for audiences as well as we go on this journey with Riley. Taking the incredibly intricate memory world that was established in the first film, the sequel makes a few minor additions that allow it to feel familiar but still fresh enough to keep us engaged. Many of these new additions are some of the funniest moments in the entire series.  With more emotions and human charact...