SummaryAfter waking up convinced that she is going to die tomorrow, Amy’s carefully mended life begins to unravel. As her delusions of certain death become contagious to those around her, Amy and her friends’ lives spiral out of control in a tantalizing descent into madness.
SummaryAfter waking up convinced that she is going to die tomorrow, Amy’s carefully mended life begins to unravel. As her delusions of certain death become contagious to those around her, Amy and her friends’ lives spiral out of control in a tantalizing descent into madness.
We generally don't know when death is going to come knocking at our door. But, when a woman receives a dream message that it's happening tomorrow, it sends her life into a tailspin, one that quickly becomes compounded when the notion apparently becomes "contagious" and affects others. Director Amy Seimetz's nuanced existential take on mortality examines the subject from a variety of angles, much of it punctuated by droll satirical humor, adding much-needed levity to a topic we often look upon with unrepentant dread. Some questions are left unanswered here, but that's fitting in light of the inscrutable nature of a subject that most of us will never know anything about until we experience it firsthand (and, even then, the experience is likely to be different for each of us, given our own personal beliefs and sensibilities). Moreover, the film deftly explores the impact of fear and how quickly and easily it can spread, something that can be almost as devastating and pernicious as the prospect of death itself. As a psychological thriller, this offering didn't score particularly well with audiences, but I suspect that's because many viewers took it too literally and didn't see, appreciate or understand the humor in the filmmaker's approach. Keep that in mind as you screen this one, and I'm sure you'll find it to be a delightfully whimsical experience.
In its cautious rhythm, its economical storytelling and its deliberately over-the-top colour scheme – each character’s “infection,” so to speak, is back-lit by deeply saturated red and blues – She Dies Tomorrow unsettles without using any of cinema’s typical tools.
She Dies Tomorrow is a movie you could watch several times before you understand it. (After two viewings, I feel like I’ve barely cracked the surface.) But there’s something magnetic at its core that makes you want to return.
The film feels a bit too experimental at times, suffering from lags in tempo and purpose, but it never succumbs to the ordinary either. There is a rare, unrefined quality to Seimetz’s film — a personal work of art that feels deeply honest throughout.
She Dies Tomorrow often feels more like an experiment than a film – which would be fine, but Siemetz doesn't do much to define her metrics for success or failure.
"What if death was contagious?" This is basically the premise. It's essentially "The Final Destination" if it was a more cerebral slow-burn art-house film with adults instead of teens.
If that last sentence offends you, you'll love it. If it makes you take pause, then you probably won't.
There's more visual than plot, but 'She Dies Tomorrow' is an interesting exercise that dwells into regret, fear, and sorrow. The mystery is there, and although it gets sidelined by what happens to the characters, there's no lack of emotion and even humor. The film slowly reveals itself so that it may be frustrating for some. Either way, Amy Seimetz delivers.
A special trailer that may not be to everyone's liking. From movies that can quickly divide its audience into two categories. You will enjoy seeing it, but you will not miss it without seeing it.
Horribly pretentious low budget mumblecore with added disco-lighting. Feels like a movie a first time director would want to make during film school. Perhaps also the reason why it resonates with so many film critics.