{"id":14655,"date":"2023-01-21T22:03:11","date_gmt":"2023-01-22T03:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=14655"},"modified":"2023-01-21T22:03:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-22T03:03:11","slug":"sundance-film-festival-review-daisy-ridley-anchors-the-entertaining-human-comedy-sometimes-i-think-about-dying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=14655","title":{"rendered":"Sundance Film Festival Review \u2013 Daisy Ridley Anchors the Entertaining Human Comedy \u2018Sometimes I Think About Dying\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s often hard to explain natural impulses and the things that fill our dreams, or even our waking moments. Thinking frequently of one\u2019s own death might seem morbid or terrifying, but it can also provoke a more neutral curiosity. That\u2019s the case for the protagonist of\u00a0Sometimes I Think About Dying<\/em><\/strong>, an antisocial office worker who spends more time with her own thoughts than other human beings, and who slowly opens up thanks to the arrival of a new coworker who finds her much more interesting than she finds herself.<\/p>\n

Fran (Daisy Ridley) doesn\u2019t show much enthusiasm for any of her colleagues in the small office where they all work, writing an unsentimental \u201cEnjoy retirement\u201d on a farewell card for Carol (Marcia DeBonis) and sneaking a piece of cake out of the celebration so that she isn\u2019t forced to socialize. Robert (Dave Merheje) is hired to replace Carol and emails Fran to ask her a question, prompting an unprecedented banter that leads to out-of-office trips to the movies and meals. Robert is chatty and friendly, the opposite of Fran\u2019s stoic and silent nature in, which even her contributions to conversation \u2013 like that cottage cheese is her favorite food \u2013 don\u2019t invite any follow-up.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I Think About Dying\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is based on a thirteen-minute short film<\/a> of the same name that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. In one sense, there really isn\u2019t that much content to be found in this feature adaptation, but its simplicity works to its advantage. Fran almost doesn\u2019t seem real, coming to work every day and just doing her job as coworkers gab around her all day long and still treat her in a friendly way despite her lack of social reciprocity. Robert permeates the solitude she has created for herself, inviting himself in subtly and cautiously asking questions she has little desire to answer. She\u2019s also prone to curt statements that come off as unkind, and which also hit with a note of humor because it\u2019s hard to believe that she could be that oblivious to every social cue.<\/p>\n

The death imagery referenced in the title adds a dimension of seriousness to the film, if only because Fran seems to find comfort in living in it. She moves her fingers nervously as she struggles to get through a one-on-one interaction with Robert, and then goes home to have a lengthy daydream that finds her nearing her demise, something that lasts for a while before she wakes with a start. Robert\u2019s entry into her life can be seen as a revitalization of sorts, someone taking interest in her when she had written herself off entirely. It\u2019s particularly fascinating to see how much Fran gets into a murder mystery at a party, astounding the other guests with the specificity and creativity of how she had apparently been killed.<\/p>\n

Ridley is best known for her role as Rey in the latest Star Wars trilogy, and it\u2019s rewarding to see her headline an independent film in which she doesn\u2019t speak much and there\u2019s next to no action. She knows how to calibrate Fran\u2019s reactions to each situation to elicit an uncomfortable laugh, and her chemistry with Merheje, an established comedian, is delightful. The two of them often feel as if they\u2019re existing in their own little world, though the supporting cast does include enjoyable appearances from DeBonis, Parvesh Cheena, Meg Stalter, and Brittany O\u2019Grady.<\/p>\n

But their roles are appropriately limited since, in all the time their characters have sat next to or across from Fran, they\u2019ve never managed to elicit much energy. Purposeful cinematography and an emphasis on small details that might otherwise go unnoticed help give audiences a peek into Fran\u2019s worldview, one that rarely proves memorable, making those moments that do stick out all the more emphatic.\u00a0Sometimes I Think About Dying<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0succeeds at being endearing and uncomplicated, spending some sincerely entertaining time with its two protagonists as they navigate something resembling a social or romantic relationship.<\/p>\n

Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of Abe Friedtanzer\u2019s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I Think About Dying<\/em><\/strong> makes its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s often hard to explain natural impulses and the things that fill our dreams, or even our waking moments. Thinking frequently of one\u2019s own death might seem morbid or terrifying, but it can also provoke a more neutral curiosity. That\u2019s the case for the protagonist of\u00a0Sometimes I Think About Dying, an antisocial office worker who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":14656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[13385,13757,13759,13760,13762,13761,13758,13064,643,13746,13747],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSundance Film Festival Review \u2013 Daisy Ridley Anchors the Entertaining Human Comedy \u2018Sometimes I Think About Dying\u2019 | Cinema Daily US<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Daisy Ridley and Dave Merheje star in Rachel Lambert's comedy Sometimes I Think About Dying, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=14655\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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