Sometimes Fran imagines herself dead in a quiet forest. Sometimes Fran imagines being lifted, probably by her neck, by a huge crane, dying. Sometimes there is a big snake or a desolate beach. Sometimes yes, Fran thinks about dying. And that's okay because Rachel Lambert's whimsical “Sometimes I Think About Dying” and the complicated woman at the center are also thinking about other things, good things. Like, well, not die. Maybe even, maybe, live. For a movie about the attraction of death, there sure is a lot of life in this understated charmer.
Lambert's initially mannered style lends itself to the film's wonderfully funny first act, when we're introduced to Fran (Daisy Ridley, who gets the chance to show off the kind of nuanced acting that had no place in her turns in "Star Wars"). . her dreams of dying and the spectacularly boring life that could make anyone ponder the afterlife. Fran's days are spent mostly in the distant company of her sweet, if banal, co-workers (actually, aren't the people you work with the people you spend the most time with? And how horrible is that? ). An office drone at the port authority of a small Oregon coastal town, no one seems to notice Fran much, just as she would like. Or she?
Director: Rachel Lambert
Writers: Stefanie Abel Horowitz, Kevin Armento, Katy Wright-Mead
Stars: Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena
Fran cringes when other people talk to her, she remains on the periphery of most meetings and seems convinced that she just isn't that interesting. But her inner life is certainly fascinating, and saying that she "thinks about dying" gives short shrift to the multitude of thoughts swirling in her head. Ridley does a good job with even the smallest movements, the better to understand what Fran is thinking. With a little nod here, a too-long blink there, all in focus with careful close-ups, we can't help but be part of her world.
Lambert doesn't skimp on the more obvious clues about Fran's life, like her nightly routine of drinking a glass of wine before even taking off her coat. (The film's script comes from Kevin Armento, who based it on his play “Killers,” as well as Stefanie Abel Horowitz, who directed the original short; and Katy Wright-Mead.) Even when paired with other strong talents like the hilarious Meg Stalter (as a barking boss) or the ever-emphatic Marcia DeBonis (who doesn't look like a day has passed since her turn in “13 Going on 30”), Ridley shines brightest here. You can't help but root for her, which means you can't help but root for Fran.
The eventual twist that puts Fran on a new life path, one that may not be as interested in contemplating suicide, has to do with the arrival of a new co-worker, the equally slightly strange Robert (Dave Merheje). . Fran's interest is piqued when she, during one of many painfully funny and terrifyingly honest office meetings, introduces herself by noting that she likes "awkward silences." Oh, you too? Her dry humor soon segues into Slack messages with Fran, who sees a kindred spirit or at least the kind of person she'd like to go to the movies with. For Fran, that's a big step and Lambert treats it with the seriousness and respect she deserves. When we laugh in “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” it's never from Fran. That feels big too.
Over the course of eight days, Fran and Robert soon go through a series of dates. But Fran is her worst enemy, and her continued belief that she's just not that interesting (even when the talkative Robert seems happier to fire off his rapid-fire questions about her life) gets in the way of her actually being interesting to someone else. person. Still, she's routinely pushed beyond her comfort zone, whether that means wearing more color after sporting exclusively muted tones or emerging as the star of a murder mystery party where, yes, she can really tell in loudly one of his death fantasies, to the delight of others.
Sometimes Fran imagines herself dead in a quiet forest. Sometimes Fran imagines being lifted, probably by her neck, by a huge crane, dying. Sometimes there is a big snake or a desolate beach. Sometimes yes, Fran thinks about dying. And that's okay because Rachel Lambert's whimsical “Sometimes I Think About Dying” and the complicated woman at the center are also thinking about other things, good things. Like, well, not die. Maybe even, maybe, live. For a movie about the attraction of death, there sure is a lot of life in this understated charmer.
Lambert's initially mannered style adapts to the film's wonderfully funny first act, when we are introduced to Fran (Daisy Ridley, who gets the chance to show off the kind of nuanced acting that had no place in her turns in "Star Wars").
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