Imagine if there was absolute proof of life after death. Would that change much for you? Would it change much for the world? According to writer-director Mali Elfman’s feature debut, it most certainly would. People would no longer care about consequences, this life is just one phase before the next, and many would want to hasten their death to try and reconnect with loved ones, or maybe just end a life that hasn’t been working out for them. It’s an intriguing, and sobering, idea, and one that is used brilliantly in what is essentially a riff on the standard road trip movie.
Rose (Katie Parker) and Teddy (Rahul Kohli) are two individuals about to embrace death. They are doing it under the guise of furthering the scientific developments of a doctor (Karen Gillan in a brief cameo) who has started to specialise in just exactly what happens when, and after, we die. Deciding on a car ride instead of a quick flight, Rose and Teddy end up sharing a rental car, which gives them a number of days to find out more about one another, and to reveal what has happened to lead them to their current situation.
If you’re after a full-blooded and straightforward horror movie then this isn’t the movie for you. There are some nicely creepy moments, people realising the times during which they have unexpected company, but it’s a supernatural-tinged emotional drama, more focused on letting viewers spend time with characters that they become more and more invested in. Elfman helps everything along with a great script, with plenty of humour in between the heavier moments, and solid direction.
I don’t want to undersell the value of the cast though, with both Parker and Kohli (particularly Kohli) doing stellar work in the lead roles. The two are a good fit for the characters, but the more important aspect of the film is how well they work together, growing more comfortable and friendlier with one another in a very natural and believable way. As well as Gillan, there are one or two other cameos to enjoy, and excellent little turns from Tim Griffin and Tongayi Chirisa, playing two characters who have a very different relationship with the concept of the afterlife.
I need to stop being surprised by people doing such great work in their first full feature films because it just keeps happening recently, and this is another excellent addition to the growing list of worthwhile debuts marking someone out as a great talent to keep an eye on. Elfman might have been able to get a helping hand from the fact that her father is the fairly well-known Danny Elfman, or maybe not (I am speculating here to try and head off any criticisms from people ready with their knives out), but she easily proves what an impressive new voice she is with this haunting and sweet study of how people can eventually embrace life after having already embraced death.
9/10
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