Sometimes I Think About Dying Cinema Review

4 star quietly captivating tale of unlikely romance.

Sometimes I Think About Dying is a 2023 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rachel Lambert (I Can Feel You Walking, In the Radiant City) and written by Kevin Armento, Stefanie Abel Horowitz and Katy Wright-Mead. It is based on the 2019 short film co-written and directed by Horowitz, which is in turn based on the 2013 play Killers, written by Armento.

It is in UK cinemas from 19th April 2024.

“Hello again. I guess in addition to Thai food, I love going to the movies, yep, big movies and uncomfortable silences…like that.”

Fran (Daisy Ridley – Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Magpie) is an office worker, living in a town in coastal Oregon. She is drifting through life, barely connecting with anyone, existing on the edges of other people’s reality. She passes her days alternating between listening to the idle chatter of her work colleagues, making spreadsheets and fantasising about her own death. Although not necessarily suicidal, she has sudden and seemingly random daydreams, she’s dead in a forest, covered with beetles, hanging from the crane outside her office.

When her colleague Carol (Marcia DeBonis – Booger, Funny Pages) retires, her troubled but peaceful world is disrupted by the arrival of her replacement Robert (Dave Merheje – Criminal: Become Vengeance). He is outgoing and friendly and seemingly oblivious to Fran’s lack of connection. He begins to make unexpected appearances in her daydreams. She makes a joke, which makes him laugh and that seems to trigger something in her. Although it is still a struggle, she begins to come out of herself, even starting to date. Can they make this unlikely relationship work?

“I wanna get an armchair, but I sometimes think of, like if the armchair was actually shaped like an arm, like it would be more comfortable.”

Sometimes I Think About Dying is a bizarre yet enjoyable film. Daisy Ridley puts in a stunning central performance which turns a potentially cliched film into an intimate portrayal of a woman’s struggle to connect with the world around her.

Despite the title, this is a heartwarming film and expertly directed to help us understand Fran and her way of thinking. The story and its nuances are very much left up to your imagination, there’s no explanations to be had here. It’s slow and steady and if you’re looking for action then this is not for you, however if you’re tired of all the sound and fury of Hollywood, then this might be just what you are looking for.

Perfect for a quiet afternoon of reflection in the cinema.

“I wouldn’t murder anyone. I wouldn’t kill you. I’m a very nice guy and I almost adopted an orphan once.”