A celebration of the mundane and venturing out and away from isolation and loneliness are the main focuses of Rachel Lamberts' Sometimes I Think About Dying. Fran (Daisy Ridley) of Star Wars fame is an office worker in a small Oregon town. Her daily routine consists of going into the office in muted colours keeping to herself as conversations and debates occur amongst her colleagues around her. Fran stares at her computer screen filling generic orders, working on spreadsheets attending meetings where an e-mail could have sufficed. After work, she heads home to her small residence preparing her usual microwave dinner to consume alongside an ever-present glass of wine.
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A large crane is placed at eye level outside of her office window leading Fran to imagine being lifted up by the crane and hanging from it. That image joins her more regular nightly thoughts of lying lifeless in a dewy forest with bugs crawling over her skin or dead tangled in a driftwood pile at the beach. New employee Robert (Dave Merheje) arrives at the office and not knowing any better engages Fran in conversation. The topic of film comes up and Fran agrees to meet Robert at the local theatre. He has his own routine as well, seeing movies and visiting a local restaurant nearby for dessert after a screening.
Robert seems genuinely interested but Fran cannot understand why anyone would be so she unwittingly sabotages things at an early opportunity. Fran gets a moment to shine during one of their outings attending a Murder Mystery dinner party. She gets to tell the attendees how she died in one of the set pieces. Her fantasies about death come to the fore to the delight of the entire party.
Writer Kevin Armento Adapts his play Killers for the screen. The theatre roots are evident in the production. The original live-action short director Stefanie Abel Horowitz also gets a credit. Lambert lingers on the most minuscule unglamourous parts of Fran's existence. So much so that when she steps completely out of her character buying donuts for the office one morning the viewer can easily understand what a big step it is for Fran and fully believe the level of excitement her gesture creates. Marcia DeBonis features in the small role of Carol. Her going away party at the office opens the film and serves as the first glimpse into Fran's status as a true outsider. Fran runs into Carol by chance later in the film and again DeBonis dominates the space as they catch up.
Daisy Ridley does a lot with the minimalist outline of her character Fran. She doesn't speak for a good chunk of the opening sequences despite being constantly on screen. She instead communicates with her body and through her eyes. Her daydreams are elaborate and her awkwardness papabile. She lurks in the background looking over her shoulder at normal interactions between colleagues from safety behind the walls of her three-sided cubicle. The rest of the ensemble cast pull their weight in this small feature which is a different style of filmmaking that hits its mark.
*** 1/2 Out of 4.
Sometimes I Think About Dying| Rachel Lambert| U.S.A. | 2023 | 91 Minutes.
Tags: Office Work, Daydreaming, Death, Murder Mystery, Retirement, Cruise, Movie & Dessert.
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