It doesn’t take much to trigger an existential crisis for some people. The mere hint of a problem or potential issue can cause them to spiral out of control or descend into a fug. If you’re naturally anxious or worried, this year probably isn’t the best year for you. We seem to be in an age of panic. It can often spill over. Anxiety can easily spread like wildfire. This is the case in Amy Seimetz’s new film, She Dies Tomorrow.
Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil) wakes up one day and can’t shake the sensation that she’s going to die tomorrow. There’s nothing physically wrong with her and she’s not having suicidal thoughts, but she’s convinced it’s going to happen. Drunk and desperate, she calls Jane (Jane Adams) who eventually visits her stricken friend. Later that same evening, Jane goes to a party at her brother (Chris Messina) and sister-in-law’s (Katie Aselton) home, still wearing her pyjamas and incoherently babbling about dying tomorrow.
You have to give a whole lot of credit to Amy Seimetz for the sheer originality of She Dies Tomorrow. It couldn’t come at a better time. That feeling of shared helplessness and unfathomable paranoia will be familiar to many. However, whilst the central message is strong it feels more suited to a shorter format. It looks nice but feels rather floaty without a narrative anchor. While the theme stays with you the film simply seems to fade away.
She Dies Tomorrow is released on Curzon Home Cinema and Digital Download by Blue Finch Films on 28 August
