Sometimes I Think About Dying (Sundance) Review

Last Updated on January 23, 2023

PLOT: An office worker (Daisy Ridley) in Oregon struggles with a sense of alienation from her colleagues and depression until being reinvigorated by the arrival of a new worker with whom she begins an unlikely relationship.

REVIEW: Sometimes I Think About Dying is likely a tough sell outside of the Sundance Film Festival. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, and it boasts a fine performance from star Daisy Ridley. But, it’s such a small, even minor film that it never leaves you with much of an impression, even if it’s a perfectly enjoyable film to watch. Not much happens, and it’s the kind of low-key character study that needed some hook beyond the mild one here, being that Ridley’s character, as the title suggests, daydreams about dying.

It’s a small, sincere movie, but it’s also one that will likely only appeal to die-hard fans of the actress, who definitely stretches here. She’s relatable, even if the character keeps the audience at arm’s length. We never really learn much about her, with her refusing to open up to anyone. As a former office worker, aspects of the movie definitely hit home, with her isolated from her fellow employees due to her social awkwardness. She gets along with them ok, but she doesn’t make an effort to get to know them or vice versa. It feels real, as I’m sure most of us have had jobs where we blended into the background or at least felt like we did.

In the film, she slowly starts to come out of her shell when a new worker (Canadian stand-up Dave Merheje) comes in and takes an interest in her. He’s friendly, and she likes him immediately, leading to a tentative stab at romance. However, the film rushes the relationship, with the whole movie taking place over a week, and we, presumably, are meant to feel sorry for her when she can’t bear her soul to him after three uneventful dates. Nevertheless, Merheje and Ridley are appealing together. The rest of the office mates are filled with typical types of workplace comedy, with a weird older guy, an overly friendly manager, an eager intern, etc. However, veteran actress Marcia DeBonis has an affecting role as a retiring worker who, in the end, is shown to struggle with the sudden loss of a support system (the work-family) that, until the last minute, she might not have realized she needed.

One must also credit director Rachel Lambert, who gives the film a poetic vibe, with the Oregon locations evocative from the start. The music, the cinematography (with it using the now trendy 1:33:1 ratio), and the clever song choices (including Breathe’s pop ditty “Hands to Heaven” and “Mysteries of Love” from the Blue Velvet soundtrack) are all on point. The problem is the movie never amounts to much beyond being a likable character study. It showcases the actors and Lambert’s promise behind the camera, but its aspirations are modest. It will likely come and go quickly and lacks the heft to generate serious buzz at Park City. Still, it has a certain degree of charm which makes it worth a casual viewing if it turns up at an arthouse near you or (more likely) on a streaming service you subscribe to.

Sundance

AVERAGE

6