Is there life after Star Wars? Daisy Ridley certainly hopes so, but it’s been a bumpy road in the five years since we last saw her in A Galaxy Far, Far Away. A few flops and overlooked independent projects have come and gone, but her latest film, Sometimes I Think About Dying, sees her take charge of her destiny both as star and producer.
She plays Fran, an Oregon office worker who has difficultly connecting with the outside world, finding any excuse to be by herself and engage in her preoccupation with imagining her own death. She makes a connection with a friendly new colleague (Dave Merheje), but her social awkwardness begins to sabotage the potential relationship.
If you’re uncomfortable with silence, this might not be the film for you. Director Rachel Lambert zeroes in on the mundanity of office life, observing conversations about missing cables and faulty desktop computers, but is equally as happy watching Ridley wordlessly observe the world around her like a frightened woodland animal.
The first half does a good job of establishing her isolation, creating situations – such as a “getting to know you” meeting for the new hire – that are cringe-worthy even for those who aren’t shy. However, the momentum runs out as the film goes on, with Fran’s oddness never really leading to anything interesting. Ridley gamely chews her nails and contorts her body as if physically repelled by the idea of human contact but there’s never a sense of knowing her, however, which makes it hard to care if she makes a personal breakthrough or not.
While aesthetically interesting, Daisy Ridley’s mannered performance in Sometimes I Think About Dying can’t save a movie that never quite gets off the ground.