'She Dies Tomorrow' is a tense drama about Amy - a woman convinced that she will die tomorrow. Her conviction of that fact spreads to the people around her and the film follows the repercussions that notion has on the people in her town.
The films opens with Amy exploring her new home which she has just purchased and appears to be coping with grief. She is shown trying to overcome something, breaking down as she listens to Mozart's 'Le Concert des Nations'. She takes a call with her friend, Jane, perplexing her as she reveals she knows she is going to die tomorrow. Amy proceeds to drinking and searching for an urn online.
Later Jane comes over, the two talk, and it is revealed that Amy is a recovering alcoholic. As the two talk, Amy conveys her thoughts about her impending doom to Jane. Later Jane visits her sister-in-law's birthday party, also now convinced that she will expire the following day. Acting strangely she laments her thoughts about her impending doom and seemingly passes it on to the rest of the party attendants. The film then follows the individuals at the party, as they are now also of the mind that tomorrow will be their last day. Jane's brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Susan, a married couple with a daughter, cope with the notion of death and are shown to try to comfort each other. The other couple from the party, Brian and Tilly are shown being honest with each other, revealing that they had both independently wished to terminate their relationship some time ago.
The film returns to Amy as she rides a dune buggy, gets high with the man operating the buggy rental place and as she visits a leatherworker, as she had previously expressed an outlandish idea of being turned into a leather jacked after her expiry.
The film winds down as we see Jane wandering into a strangers house, coming across a pair of girls that are also aware of their death the following day, and as they carry on superficial conversation. The final scene reveals Amy in the desert, trying to convince herself that she is ok, while eventually gently humming to herself as the scene cuts to black.
'She Dies Tomorrow' is initially intensely puzzling, as we follow Amy going through immense tension, anxiety and fear. Much of the first third of the film depicts the main character acting detached, listening to the same piece of music over and over and eventually succumbing to drinking to take her mind off of what is bothering her. As the story progresses and we learn of her conviction that she will die the next day, the film shifts to a more revealing nature of Amy's plight. As Jane is in a sense infected with the same notion, and as she passes it on to the people around her, it becomes clear that the idea of ones own mortality and inevitable doom spreads in a manner akin to a virus in this universe.
Through following the spread of the idea of dying tomorrow, the film presents a range of responses that humans exhibit when facing their own mortality.
Amy, as a recovering alcoholic, starts to numb her pain with alcohol after spending the day grieving her potential loss of life. She is shown in a manner akin to an animal trapped in a cage - roaming about her surroundings looking for a way out of a dead end situation. She progresses to drinking to numb her pain, later on riding a dune buggy and getting high to take her mind off of the inevitable. Her story is shown to conclude by her chanting "it's okay" and "I'm not okay", as she tries to come to terms with dying. Through this, the film shows us how a rational approach to death can be difficult, as we comprehend the notion of death and know it is inescapable, yet are unwilling and scared to accept the end of life.
For Jane, dealing with death is show a little differently. She becomes aware of her fate and sinks into an almost trance like state, her mind clouded with fear and darkness as she spreads the notion of dying tomorrow to her friends and family. She wanders around aimlessly, trying to reconnect to her work of taking pictures of microscopic samples, yet is unable to thwart the idea plaguing her mind.
Jason and Susan, as they cope with the notion, try to find comfort in their family, wanting to let their daughter know what is about to happen, yet as morning closes in, they let her sleep, citing it to be the better option. They sit together and consider that their time together was not wasted, as even although Susie liked to indulge in superficial conversation topics and ideas, they have enjoyed each others company and find joy in that.
Brian and Tilly accept the idea of death and instantly become open and honest about their feelings towards their relationship, admitting that it should have ended a long time ago. The pair also visit with Brians hospitalised father, pulling the plug for his system and letting him pass on. The decision to do so seems calculated in that Brian no longer wants to see him suffer and ends his life out of consideration of that.
The two girls that Jane meets at the end of the film, Sky and Erin, have also been 'infected' with the though of dying. Their approach is a bit different to what had been presented before, - the duo seem to meet the idea with a more gentle and easy-going approach. Their conversation seems to reveal that the two have come to terms with the idea and indulge in light conversation, delighting in each others quips and thoughts about seemingly unimportant topics of conversation.
The film is composed in a non-linear manner, presenting cut-scenes that jump in time, conveying the feeling of distortion in how we approach time and further exacerbating the feeling of anxiety the film imposes on the viewer.
The visual effects greatly amplify the impact that the idea and conviction of dying the next day has on an individual, presenting Amy and her inner journey in facing the notion. A particular scene presents her following a source of multi-colour flashes of light. As she gets closer to it, the scene evokes a sense of dread and fear, forcing Amy to face the idea of death, whilst exposing the audience to the magnitude and terror of coping with such an idea. Later on we are shown that other characters are also drawn to sources of flashing lights, indicating the turning point at which they have to make peace with the idea of death, allowing them to further express their coping mechanisms and responses to what is happening.
The story is told in such a manner as to invite the viewer to re-watch the film, as going into the story aware of the concept and how it operates provides an entirely different experience, as we get to recognise the subtlety of the actors performances and get to appreciate the beauty of the visual effects used in the film to highlight what the characters are going through as they become 'infected' with the idea of dying.
Kate Lyn Sheil portrays Amy, a character we meet in the throws of having to deal with the heavy burden of coping with the idea of death and mortality. Sheil delivers a great performance in that she presents Amy as an individual truly disturbed by what she is facing, exhibiting the fear and anxiety one may face once having to overcome the idea of death. Sheil portrays Amy's journey from fear and self-destructive tendencies to her eventual, if only partial, acceptance of her fate. A truly impactful performance, Shiel anchors the film in delivering a relatable and clear rendering of an individual in the throws of a dire situation.
Jane Adams, Kentucker Audley, Chris Messina, Katie Aselton, Tunde Adebimpe and Jennifer Kim portray the supporting cast of the film. Each actor plays their part beautifully in presenting the range of emotions and reactions that a person may have when faced with such an ultimate idea, namely their own mortality. Ranging from becoming dissociative to coming to terms with the notion in a calm manner, the cast provides a variety to the film, allowing for each individual viewer to attach to the response they most closely feel represents their own views.
'She Dies Tomorrow' is directed and written by Amy Seimetz, and the creator has managed to develop a project that on the surface may seem like an abstract and confusing story, yet becomes very relatable as it develops. The film is a great insight into the response humans have when faced with their own mortality. In combination with the vibrant use of lighting, 'She Dies Tomorrow' is an excellent drama that should be considered in part a science fiction thriller, as the characters are going through deep emotional journeys prompted by a contagion that spreads like wildfire from one individual to another. The film is truly great in generating deeper thoughts about death and how people try to cope with it, adding a versatile feature to the cinematography of our time, functioning well as a drama and a thriller.
Score: 4/4
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