“Fran’s dead and I did not do it!”
A sweet and intimate portrait of loneliness, Sometimes I Think About Dying is a movie I really like.
It is rare to see a movie take on a specific character’s point of view which does not treat at least some of that specificity with ridicule.
Fran Larsen is someone who is comfortable with her life. And one of those comforts is the titular fantasies.
The film never makes Fran a figure of ridicule or pity. Ridley emphasised that she saw Fran is not unhappy with her life, and that sense of confidence is present.
There is nothing particularly macabre about Fran’s daydreams.
Her visions of death are always post-mortem. There is no gore or signs of decay. She is never shown in the act of suicide. One gets a sense she is getting a sense of solitude.
In the first 10-15 minutes, the film follows Fran’s daily routine. We get extended, mostly static shots of Fran at work, home and in her fantasies. The film is so effective at immersing the viewer that when other characters (like Robert) try to interact with Fran, it feels disruptive.
There is a sense of the character’s subjectivity - both a comfort in isolation, and a vague panic when she has to socialise with anyone.
Ridley is effective in the main role. There is nothing that big or histrionic about her performance - this is a small, microbehavioural performance that is designed to fade into the background.
As Robert Naser, the catalyst for Fran’s opening up, Dave Merheje suits the low key vibe.
Because the film around him is at such a simmer, he seems like a live wire. Where Fran is silent, Robert never stops talking. He feels the need to fill the silence.
Like Fran, he is seeking connection.
Outside of the main character, the film manages to create a sense of characters and a specific world, in terms of that sense of lived-in, organic set of established relationships.
That sense of depth to these characters is what helps create that disconnect between Fran and the world around her - particularly toward the film’s finale, when Fran goes from being alone to being truly lonely.
Maybe this comes from working in an office, but this film is so good in its depiction of office dynamics - there is an ease and vague inanity to the way the various denizens interact.
A lovely mood piece, the film is more about capturing a character’s mental state than larger, more dramatic revelations.
Another highlight of the movie is Dabney Morris’ score. It is romantic and swoon-y, creating a dissonance with the film’s visuals. There are times it recalls the effervescent orchestral pop of Henry Mancini.
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