In the opening scene of his masterpiece Annie Hall, Woody Allen provides us with a quote that has gone on to become iconic: “Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering, and it’s all over much too soon”, which serves to be a perfect summary of life for those who have adopted it as their life’s philosophy. We often see the concept of isolation explored in the film, and one of the most poignant examples produced recently is Sometimes I Think About Dying, in which Rachel Lambert adapts the play Killers by Kevin Armento (who also wrote the screenplay), which tells the story of a shy, lonely office worker who finds herself in a precarious position when she is introduced to a new colleague who seems to be the only person willing to get to know our protagonist, which causes her previously banal but consistent life to be thrown into disarray. A tender and very moving testament to the power of changing your perspective and allowing life to reveal new aspects of yourself, Sometimes I Think About Dying is a wonderful, complex character study with a strong sense of soulful compassion and an even more prominent sense of humour, which comes from a place of genuine empathy for the kinds of people represented in this story. Lambert, who has been working for a few years under the radar as a fascinating independent filmmaker, quietly puts together a profoundly moving examination of a young woman navigating everyday life, finding the inner nuances of her daily routine that she had not noticed before, and who manages to unearth new emotions that she had either ignored or didn’t realize existed in the first place, leading to this bitterly funny, heartfelt comedy that explores the human condition in vivid detail.

Sometimes I Think About Dying is a film that makes its underlying themes abundantly clear right from the start – this is a story about profoundly lonely people who have resigned to lives that are consistent in terms of routine, but thoroughly dull and without any excitement. For most of us, this is not appealing, but for the character of Fran, it is beyond ideal, since it gives her full control of her routine and prevents unnecessary invasions of her privacy or closely guarded personal life, which she values to the point where it becomes a barrier that prevents anyone else from getting to know her. The film is crafted as a portrait of those people who exist seemingly without any intention of being social, shying away from the rest of the world and only venturing out of their homes for work or when it is entirely necessary. As a result, Sometimes I Think About Dying is a film that will resonate with many people – even if you are not entirely as anti-social and anxious as Fran, there is still some element of truthfulness in how this film shows the experiences of those who often want to retreat from the responsibilities of everyday life and just embrace the solitude that can seem so appealing, but ultimately result in major challenges when it comes to finding kindred spirits. This film is a beautiful examination of the experiences of profoundly lonely people trying to find some kind of comfort and solace in a world unfortunately not designed for them and realizing the incredible joy that comes when you encounter someone who has the same experiences, proving that even the loneliest of people are not always entirely alone and that there is always someone with which we can share our lives, even if only momentarily.

One of the qualities we first notice about Sometimes I Think About Dying that may be quite surprising is that there isn’t too much of a story – the plot is clear but quite threadbare, and essentially just entails following the protagonist as she gradually starts to feel more comfortable around her new co-worker, who seems to reciprocate her feelings enough to bring her out of her shell. The film is primarily structured as a series of moments in Fran’s daily life, delivered as subtle, stream-of-consciousness scenes that stand independently but work together to form a vibrant portrait of her daily life. To achieve this very specific kind of tone, Lambert takes a slightly more experimental approach to the filmmaking process, choosing to view this story through the eyes of the main character, which means employing an almost dreamlike atmosphere, one that draws more on the overall mood than it does the story as a whole, which amounts to something quite remarkable in terms of how it examines a subject as banal as the day-to-day interactions of people leading perfectly ordinary lives. The film is also punctuated by many dream sequences in which Fran fantasizes about her death (evoking the same sense of morbid dark comedy that made films like Harold and Maude so unconventionally endearing), which are not easily decipherable at first, but eventually start to take the form of achingly beautiful, poetic moments that offer an honest glimpse into her mind. As the viewer, we are given unfettered access to Fran’s mind, and the film takes advantage of this motif by experimenting with the very narrow boundary between reality and fiction, making a few bold directorial choices that are extremely original and genuinely very compelling, particularly in how it offers unique reflections into the life of this painfully average young woman whose only aim in life is to live from one day to the next without too much discomfort coming along with it.

Lambert enlists Daisy Ridley to play the part of Fran (in addition to also acting as a producer on the film), which is a fantastic choice for several reasons. Firstly, Ridley has been working laboriously for years to move away from her role as a franchise actor, since we have seen far too many gifted performers become entirely defined by their work in major blockbusters, to the point where they are expected to play that role for the rest of their lives, or work within the same niche, which Ridley has openly expressed her intention to avoid. Sadly, she has not managed to flourish in the way that we would have hoped when we first encountered her talents around a decade ago – but she has still been quietly working away, developing projects that are built around her incredible skills and unique set of talents. Sometimes I Think About Dying is quite a challenging role, primarily because so much of it is non-verbal. For the first act of the film, outside of a few mumbled sentences, Fran simply does not speak, instead communicating through body language and facial expressions, a means to show her incredibly introverted nature and inability to interact with others without feeling hopelessly awkward. Then as the film progresses, we begin to see her open up and reveal herself to have an inner confidence that begins to show as she becomes more comfortable with those around her. Its a wonderfully tender, honest performance from an actor who works to create a character who is earnest, relatable and genuinely very endearing, and it proves that Ridley is capable of very subtle work, something that should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following her development as an actor, but will instead hopefully set a foundation for a strong ongoing career in these kinds of fascinating, compelling character-based projects that are incredibly attuned to her unique style of acting and immense talents.

Arguably, we can view Sometimes I Think About Dying as a star vehicle for Ridley (and anyone who played the role would have been given an incredible showcase, so it was always designed to be a demonstration of strong acting), but there is so much more to the film that becomes more clear the further we integrate ourselves into the story. The filmmaking itself is quite remarkable – the surreal, dreamlike atmosphere contributes a sense of almost enchanting curiosity to a relatively placid story about the humdrum existence of office workers and their dull lives (and the depiction of their routine is realistic to the point of being profoundly uncomfortable, something that many of us will find deeply relatable), making use of both very awkward, stilted humour and a surreal sensibility that work in tandem to create such a distinct mood, which propels most of the story. As a whole, Sometimes I Think About Dying is quite an extraordinary achievement, not only as a character study that showcases the immense skills of its lead but as a unique little curio that offers some unconventional but genuinely bold commentary around ideas to which we can all likely relate in some way or another. It focuses on the lives of ordinary people as they face some harsh realities of the world that surrounds them, but is never mean-spirited or anything less than thoroughly compassionate. Heartfelt, funny and sincere in fascinating ways, Sometimes I Think About Dying is a truly wonderful film with many bold ideas and the extraordinary empathy required to make it all seem thoroughly and unimpeachably convincing.