She Dies Tomorrow is a 2020 psychological thriller with supernational elements by Amy Seimetz.
Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil) is still going through loss or dealing with isolation, as she is stricken by the notion of dying the next day. Among her friends, one by one more persons are randomly struck by this idea and they come to realize their days are numbered, leading them to become gloomy and reflect on life as they assume it will end the next morning. The small group of friends that make up Amy’s social circles includes Jane (Jane Adams), who crashes Susan (Katie Aselton) and Jason’s (Chris Messina) party, where Brian (Tunde Adebimpe) and Tiffy (Jennifer Kim) were already having an awkward time. Jane passes the fatal instinct to her doctor (Josh Lucas), and so it makes its rounds, with Jane eventually coming to terms with what’s going on and joining Sky (Michelle Rodriguez) and her friend….
The tagline “Amy thinks she’s dying tomorrow.. and it’s contageous” is spot on, and it’s as bizarre as it is thought provoking. This is however not a teenie slasher of the Final Destination kind, and it’s not really a horror or splatter movie at all, anyway. There are some bloody effects, yes, but they serve more to add to the bizarre than to disgust. It’s also not so much about the contageous nature of the phenomenon itself as much as the way the individuals are coming to terms with the notion. It’s an abstract take on the phenomenon that is unsettling, transcending time and space and almost dreamlike without seeming to be an utter nightmare. It’s almost as if their fates aren’t presented as something negative – at least it’s presented as a rather neutral event.
As a pandemic film, or rather a self-described pandemic film as it’s not really its subject, it deals with isolation, social distance and awkwardness as much as it deals with coming to terms with fatality and the terminal nature of life and social relationships. For that, it’s absolutely fascinating, even though I found She Dies Tomorrow already a bit too playful in that regard, or even experimental, not least in terms of visual effects. Speaking of which. Parts of the movie have this often common character trait of indie movies that put people off from watching indie movies: inaccessible, often too quiet, dialogue that oscillates between improv and exaggeration, little budget for a score. This one is no different, but it boasts a better cast than most, it is a snappy 86 minutes and the cinematography is rather solid. I found it similar to other indie creepies like The Endless, and as a study of coping it’s absolutely timely. Seimetz by the way directed 13 episodes of The Girlfriend Experience, two of Atlanta and two of Outer Range (which was hella bizarre too). Her first feature was Sun Don’t Shine from 2012 also with Kate Lyn Sheil.
Radiance Films bringt the movie to BluRay in a beautiful and worthy presentation. Aside from the pretty sleeve and a booklet featuring new writing on the film by Isabel Millar and Lillian Crawford as well an interview with Seimetz from the original press book, there are a number of extras on the disc worth checking out. First up is a discussion between the director and the cinematographer, Jay Keitel (23min), which is presented more or less like a making-of documentary. Then there’s a new interview with Kate Lyn Sheil and Jane Adams. This runs 13 minutes and was produced for this disc specifically. Both shed some interesting light on the genesis of the project and for those like me unfamiliary with the director, it’s a welcome introduction. Then there’s a visual essay by critic Anton Bitel (15min) dissecting the many themes of the movie and attemtping to pierce their meaning. A movie well worth examining this way, so this is a welcome addition. Next to the trailer, there’s an audio commentary by Anna Bagutska, writer, programmer, critic as well as podcaster. I am a bit taken aback how much attention this film is getting or, how much it received, as my writing above illustrates, I admire the movie for what it’s worth, but contrast this with so much more important movies that arrive bare bones, this is quite astounding. But as for the commentary, it’s very insightful and entertaining, without being meandering or too nerdy. A nice mix and well worth spending time with.
But back to the movie itself, it’s presented here in an excellen HD transfer approved by the director herself. The picture is razor sharp as I would expect from a fairly recent movie, with vibrant colors and rich textures to match. Contrasts are excellent and there’s a very pleasing aesthetic to this movie that smacks of film and people who knew what to do with it. It looks really vivid and pleasing, immediate and yet not articifically blurred, distorted or otherwise spruced up to seem artsy. The audio track is a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track offers preciously little in terms of surround sound. It is a mostly quiet movie with bursts of loud music, but even the more subtler audio elements aren’t quite presented as a three dimensional stage, so I believe there could’ve been more here. There are optional English subtitles. All in all an excellent presentation, a degree of attention many major movies wished they receive on home video.
Furious Cinema’s Radiance Films review series. Click to read more.
