Why Don't You Just Die! (2018)

Look, sometimes you have to remember that when people give their opinion on a movie it is more than just their opinion on a movie. It can include their opinion on a whole manner of different topics. It can also include their frame of mind, as well as any baggage attached to the movie (a fond memory, a bad memory, the circumstances of the viewing experience). This is my way of saying that I have already watched Why Don't You Just Die! I never reviewed it though, and I didn't watch it with a clear head. I watched it almost six years ago, on a night that I really wish hadn't happened. It was the last night I ever drank alcohol, and I only wish I'd opted for the sober life at least one day sooner. Anyway, that made me quite wary of revisiting this. Would I be able to view and review it without it being tainted by that horrible memory? Thankfully, six years seems to be a big enough time gap. Just.

With that said, let's get to the film. The feature debut from writer-director Kirill Sokolov, this is a tale that starts with a young man (Matvey, played by Aleksandr Kuznetsov) visiting the father of his girlfriend. The father (Andrey, played by Vitaliy Khaev) is a police officer with more than a few secrets he wants to stay hidden, but is one of those secrets the abuse of his daughter? (Olya, played by Evgeniya Kregzhde) It's not long until things turn violent, people start to unpick some lies, and at least one main character, as per the suggestion of the title, proves a lot harder to kill than expected.

As unafraid of some bloodshed and violence as he is of some lively camerawork, Sokolov takes the dark (and darkly comedic) premise and wrings every ounce of entertainment from it. Although the main action takes place in one location, a few flashbacks take viewers elsewhere, stopping the film from feeling too restricted or claustrophobic. This isn't someone looking to make you feel trapped and anxious. It's someone looking to throw characters together in a violent clash that keeps delivering pain around a twisting and unstable narrative.

Kunzetsov is a very good main character to stay alongside, despite first seeing him with a hammer held behind his back as he enters the home of someone he intends to seriously harm or kill. It helps that Sokolov doesn't leave it too long to show how he has been manipulated, allowing viewers to feel sympathy for someone who may be well out of his depth. Khaev is suitably gruff and grim, entertainingly unpleasant, but not necessarily the monster he's made out to be. Or maybe he is. Either way, he's a formidable foe, and a memorable movie character. Kregzhde is given enough screentime to show how she put the pieces of this showdown into place, Elene Shevchenko is her bewildered mother, and Mikhail Gorevoy does quite well when he comes along at a vital juncture to add more stakes and backstory to the unfolding drama.

Enjoyably over the top, in both the plotting and the bodily harm, Why Don't You Just Die! is blood-soaked fun that should appeal to anyone with a penchant for neo-noir handled with a light touch. Sokolov has marked himself out as someone to keep an eye on, and my belated rewatch of this was inevitable before I finally made time to check out his third feature, and first English-language film, They Will Kill You. I only hope I enjoy that one as much as I enjoyed this.

7/10

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