La vie rêvée de Miss Fran

Fran (Daisy Ridley) is a quiet loner who often thinks about suicide. She is alone even in a crowd at her work. Co-worker Robert gets past her barriers and they start dating.

Initially, I'm interested for about ten minutes and then I'm wondering if anything is going to happen. Something happens and I'm interested for another ten minutes before wondering if anything else is going to happen. That's how it goes. I alternate between mildly interested and waiting for the next thing. For the second half, I am interested in one thing. I'm waiting for the ending. I'm just not sure if it's going full dark or going for something more hopeful. This is not for everyone and not all of this is for me.

In bleak but interesting drama "Sometimes I Think About Dying" drab Daisy Ridley lives in a drab Oregon coastal town, working a drab office job. Her acute social awkwardness effectively stifles her existence, til a bond (of sorts) with outgoing new colleague Dave Merheje seems to have the potential to save her... but does it? Its dreary reality certainly won't be for all (adrenaline junkies beware) but Ridley is superb with some solid, understated support (inc Merheje, Marcia DeBonis, Megan Stalter & Parvesh Cheenah), the three person writing team nailed it, and director Rachel Lambert delivers with perfect tone. For those into bleak, drab and dreary art... this is a little beauty.

Sometimes I Think About Dying, I think this is the first Ridley movie I've seen after her career in star wars, so.. quite a shift in tone. But a good film nonetheless. It allowed Ridley to show a lot more of herself and she deserves it because being tainted by a massive franchise is hard to break out of and really shape your own path.

Directing is something special here, and is what elevates this movie beyond it's subdued plot and somewhat lackluster story. But the beautiful meditative method of filming really sucks you into the world, but also the time and place, it just really slows you down. It's a very oddly relaxing movie. The into perfectly blends you into the little world you're stepping into. Just great. Paced well too, certainly didn't really overstay it's welcome but also didn't stick the land as much as I'd hoped.

The story and how it accentuates it with scenes like the poster, for me never really managed to capture much that the character was already doing day to day. It added another highlight, but not a layer or depth to the thought process. And if anything I wish we had more of that, more to explore. But it continues to be distant. Intentionally, in story, but also to the viewer.

Is this a movie that showcases depression that well. Nah. But it doesn't hurt it either, it's a perspective and I can appreciate the directing behind it. It has snippets of the real thing, also some blending of social anxiety.

Music was good too, used effectively. Sound design was excellent. Making dull quite rooms sound like dull quiet rooms isn't easy.

Good, but some potential left out.

"Sometimes I Think About Dying" is a poignant and introspective film that illuminates the complexity of human emotions and existential struggles. Through its compelling narrative and beautifully crafted characters, the film explores themes of loneliness, depression and the search for meaning in life. The portrayals are authentic and moving, drawing the viewer into the inner turmoil of the protagonists. It is a thought-provoking journey that inspires empathy and reflection, reminding us of the importance of connection and understanding in a world where the thought of mortality can often weigh heavily on the mind.

The energy of this film is in its stillness.

Sparse dialogue. No driving, linear narrative. The camera is perpetually stationary. Almost nothing is loud or abrupt. But it hums restlessly with quiet anxiety.

Your attention is never commanded, but your interest is rewarded. Fran is the subject of your observation, and she is in everything subtle and restrained. Every modulation of body language, shade of facial expression, and placement of gaze dispenses information. You are with her constantly and quickly become intimate. You consider her, wonder at her. You empathize with her; you're confused by her. You don't have to understand her. You simply see what she sees and feel what she feels. You are there when she is tense and afraid, when she allows herself to smile, when she indulges her desire and when she represses it. She's a particularly vulnerable human, and you are there in the midst of all of it. This film and its protagonist are beautifully small, shy, and fragile, and watching it is compelling if you can feel the weight of responsibility that comes with so intimately witnessing a person in their intense vulnerability.

Sometimes I Think About Dying feels precious in its plain honesty and total vulnerability.

It's not a story, just a person.