Richard Crouse

A movie best described as a melancomedy, a mix of melancholy and comedy, “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” now playing in theatres, is a subdued, tender study of social anxiety and disconnection.

Daisy Ridley pauses the blockbuster phase of her career to play Fran, a withdrawn office worker who avoids eye contact, lives alone and rarely says a word. Her jocular co-workers mostly just ignore her, leaving her alone, save for her computer and spreadsheets, in the faraway corner of their workspace.

At night, in the privacy of her own home, she passes the time imagining herself dead, her body displayed in various, artful tableaus, like a Viking funeral or pastoral forest setting. She doesn’t have a death wish, she’s just fascinated with the morbid idea of it all, of how it might feel to be dead. Of how the void of death would differ from the void that is her life.

She is invisible to everyone at work, except new hire Robert (Dave Merheje). He’s a chatty, friendly guy who fills the air with stream of consciousness observations about what would happen if an armchair was actually shaped like an arm, and the like.

On his first day on the job, he tells everyone he likes Thai food, going to the movies and uncomfortable silences. Sounds like he and Fran will get along just fine.

And they do.

Their friendship begins with a work-related e-mail exchange which blossoms into a movie date. Desperate for connection, they are drawn to one another, uncomfortable silences and all.

“Sometimes I Think About Dying” is a quiet film that revels in its mundanity. From the idle chit chat around the office and the casual bonhomie of friends playing a murder mystery game to the awkward getting-to-know-you stage of a relationship and falling asleep while watching a movie, it’s a case study of everyday life, from the perspective of a person overwhelmed by life.

Ridley hands in a career best performance as someone uncomfortable even in her own comfort zone. Fran could have been a cipher, a character with no discernable traits, but Ridley does a lot with a little. Her extreme reserve is a mask, and Ridley haltingly allows personality to peek through. It’s a beautiful, quiet performance that could have been dreary, but Ridley creates something in the absence of any front facing personality traits.

Another stand-out is Marcia DeBonis as Carol, a former workmate who delivers a devastating, but understated monologue near the end of the film. Carol and Fran have nothing in common except for occupying the same space while they worked together, but in a heartfelt, and heartbreaking way, Carol gives Fran hope. No spoilers here, but this scene and the one immediately following are the film’s payoff.

“Sometimes I Think About Dying” is beyond low key, with no real conflict to speak of, other than one unexpectedly caustic remark that, given the quiet tone of the film, lands with the power of as punch in the mouth. Driven by ideas rather than story points, the movie requires patience, but for a film about the absence of emotion, delivers a sensitive and emotional conclusion to Fran’s story.