Back home

Sometimes I Think About Dying

125 votes

Producing House

Fran likes to think about dying. It brings sensation to her quiet life. When she makes the new guy at work laugh, it leads to more: a date, a slice of pie, a conversation, a spark. The only thing standing in their way is Fran herself.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2024-01-10

Runtime: 94 mins

Director: Rachel Lambert

Writer: Kevin Armento, Katy Wright-Mead, Stefanie Abel Horowitz

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama, Comedy, Romance

Original title: Sometimes I Think About Dying

Production Companies: Page Fifty-Four Pictures, Mirror Image Films, Sweet Tomato Films, Point Productions

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
"Fran" (Daisy Ridley) likes to keep herself to herself. She's very much on the periphery of things at work and goes home to her favourite cottage cheese and bed by 10.15 most evenings. The arrival of "Robert" (Dave Merheje) shakes things up a little when his request for some office provisions leads to a trip to the cinema to see "Departure" (2015). Though it could never be described as racy, what now ensues watches the two get a little close and a better acquainted. She reveals to him that as she looks from her cubicle window at the huge cranes loading and unloading the ships, she imagines herself swinging from one of them - and not in the way a child might! A chance meeting with the recently retired "Carol" (Marcia DeBonis) in a diner might help "Fran" recalibrate her priorities though! This is a far cry from anything Ridley has done thus far, and shows her as an actor of considerable versatility. The writing works quite well here, too. Sparingly used between the main characters but more plentifully used to illustrate the banal nature of her life at work - especially with boss "Isobel" (Megan Stalter) who has verbal diarrhoea in just about every way you can imagine. The story takes quite an interesting look at those (slightly) later in life who are in a rut and content to remain so but I'm afraid this whole scenario doesn't really make for gripping cinema. Indeed, at times the director seems content to leave us with only the superficial glimpse of the characters and together with the bleak and dull nature of the lighting, creates an ennui all of it's own. It's not so much that nothing really happens, it's that I wasn't really bothered either way if it did or didn't. The whole thing is all just a bit too lacklustre. It's fine, this film, but not much more.
2024-04-20

n

notlinea
the best performance of daisy ridley, hands down. however, the movie's premise was obviously more suitable for a short movie and it lacked energy at some scenes. i still enjoyed it and i loved how well shot it was, the scenery was extremely beautiful.
2023-10-28

s

screenzealots
**By: Louisa Moore / www.ScreenZealots.com** I really love “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” director Rachel Lambert‘s low-key, melancholy character piece about a socially awkward woman who has an unmet desire for human connection. The unhurried pacing and measured storytelling may be challenging for some viewers, but this little film that seems to be about nothing is actually rooted in depth and has a keen understanding of what it feels like to suffer with crippling social awkwardness. Living in a small coastal town on the dreary Oregon coast, Fran (Daisy Ridley) spends much of her time alone and often daydreams about dying. She works at a drab office and quietly observes her more outgoing coworkers as they chat with each other and go about their daily routines. She describes herself as “not very interesting,” is quiet and reserved, isn’t very sociable, has no friends, and mostly keeps to herself. This shyness is often mistaken for aloofness, and most everyone steers clear of any interactions with her. Things change when the friendly and slightly awkward Robert (Dave Merheje) starts a job at the company, and he takes an interest in Fran. She’s afraid to give friendship a chance, but there’s something different about him that may just make Robert the first person whom she allows to really get to know her. There isn’t a whole lot of plot, but Lambert manages to keep her film compelling. Her storytelling style is highly detailed, which gives a warmth to the bleak tone. Nothing feels forced. Lambert paints a dreary portrait of humanity, but does so with wit, style, charm, and humor. There’s so much subtlety in what’s left unspoken, and the film shows us Fran’s professional and personal life, but never tells us what to feel. The film is well cast from top to bottom, including Parvesh Cheena, Marcia DeBonis, and Megan Stalter, who add a lot of amusement as Fran’s office mates, and Merheje and Ridley feel charmingly authentic. Right down to her body language, from avoiding eye contact to a slouched posture when her character is feeling uncomfortable, Ridley wholly embodies what it must feel like to be Fran. It’s a skilled, effective performance, and one with few spoken words. It may sound like a hard sell to sit through a movie that’s focused on a lead character who suffers from severe social anxiety, but “Sometimes I Think About Dying” is a good, simple story that’s told well. It’s a captivating film that gracefully expresses the need for human connection while being unable to rid yourself of debilitating melancholia.
2023-04-23

m

msbreviews
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/sometimes-i-think-about-dying-review-sundance-2023 "Sometimes I Think About Dying tackles social anxiety and loneliness in a purposefully dull yet intriguing fashion. Lingering cinematography, atmospheric score, and a phenomenal Daisy Ridley somehow make it all work, but its uneventful, repetitive narrative won't be for everyone." Rating: B-
2023-01-23

Recommendations

Daño
0

Daño

2018-03-15

Somebody
3

Somebody

2014-08-28

Have you ever found it impossible to say something, face to face, to someone you know, someone you l

Two 4 One
1.4

Two 4 One

2014-09-21

When Adam helps his nutty ex-girlfriend Miriam artificially inseminate, it turns into a one-night st

Black Eyed Dog
0

Black Eyed Dog

2014-09-26

When their mom goes into a coma after being attacked by a ferocious dog, Daisy and Malick must face

In My Head
0

In My Head

2025-01-17

Coming Soon
2.9

Coming Soon

1999-06-08

Privileged teenage friends Jenny, Nell and Stream spend their senior year on a quest to rid Stream o

Veronika Decides to Die
2.9

Veronika Decides to Die

2009-05-16

After a frantic suicide attempt, Veronika awakens inside a mysterious mental asylum. Under the super

Moscow Zero
1.6

Moscow Zero

2006-11-05

In Moscow, the priest Owen hires a team to guide him in the underworld to find his friend Sergei tha

The Kiss
3.5

The Kiss

2010-08-01

Aimee and Steph are up for an adventure; its a hot summer's night and they are fueled by cheap alcoh

The Tollbooth
0.7

The Tollbooth

2004-10-22

A coming-of-age comedy about a young woman who rebels against her Jewish-American family.

Ni reprise, ni échangée
3

Ni reprise, ni échangée

2010-09-14

Juliette, a mother of wealthy family and a little snobbish, has gradually developed a kind of genera

Else Kant
0

Else Kant

1978-01-12

The painter Else Kant is in crisis – both artistically and personally. She is dissatisfied with her

The Anniversary Party
2.8

The Anniversary Party

2001-06-09

While celebrating their reconciliation and six years of marriage, American actress Sally Nash and Br

Back to the Beach
2.9

Back to the Beach

1987-08-07

Cowabunga! The surfing '60s ride into the new wave as Frankie and Annette star in this hip update of

Prison Song
2.6

Prison Song

2001-04-27

Elijah has been bounced from group home to group home throughout his turbulent young life. What has

Effi Briest
2.5

Effi Briest

2009-02-09

Following her parents' wishes, spirited seventeen-year-old Effi Briest marries Baron von Innstetten

Old Joy
3.2

Old Joy

2006-03-25

Soon to be a father, Mark feels the pressure of domestic responsibility closing in, so he is more th

His Mother's Thanksgiving
2.3

His Mother's Thanksgiving

1910-11-22

This holiday-themed melodrama released by Edison Studios in 1910 concerns Robert, a young man who le

Idle Wives
2.5

Idle Wives

1916-09-16

Characters in the film attend a movie titled 'Life’s Mirror', where they see parallel, cautionary ve

Nina Frisk
2.5

Nina Frisk

2007-03-09

Nina Frisk is a flight attendant who loves flying. She is happy above the clouds, far away from her