It’s funny how things shake out sometimes. Just days ago I was talking with a colleague about the Daisy Ridley “dramedy”, Sometimes I Think About Dying, which had its world premiere at Sundance. It was…well, not a positive conversation as we both agreed it was a pretty miserable way to kick off the festival. We wondered if it had found distribution, and lo and behold, here is the first trailer which arrives before the film’s release next January, a full year after it debuted.
Ridley stars as Fran, a lonely young woman who is more than happy to live a quiet, simple life with her office job, few friends, and not much else to speak of. Her life gets tossed upside down when Robert, a new hire at work, enters her life and sparks feelings she hasn’t felt in a very long time.
The film is directed by Rachel Lambert and produced by Ridley, showing her investment in the project. It’s based on a 2019 short film directed by co-writer Stefanie Abel Horowitz which, in turn, was based on a play called Killers by Kevin Armento.
Also in the cast are Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena, Marcia Debonis, Meg Stalter, and Brittany O’Grady.
As you probably guessed, I did not like this movie at all, writing “Even clocking at just 90-minutes or so, the film does test one’s patience. There’s very little urgency to anything going on, and we get very little insight into Fran which can be frustrating.”
Perhaps you will feel different? Ridley is still a very talented actress (she recently elevated The Marsh King’s Daughter as far as she could) who takes on roles that challenge her. She’ll always be worth paying attention to, even when the material is subpar.
Sometimes I Think About Dying opens on January 26th 2024.