- Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena
- April 19th 2024
- Rachel Lambert
Daisy Ridley plays a socially awkward office worker who often drifts off into space and dreams about her own demise.
After kicking off her career with action-filled blockbusters like Star Wars and Chaos Walking, Daisy Ridley filmed a run of smaller independent projects, including Sometimes I Think About Dying.
In Rachel Lambert’s low-key drama, Ridley plays Fran, a socially awkward and isolated office employee who daydreams about her own demise. She keeps to herself and prefers to quietly observe others, reluctant to participate in conversations and social events or reveal anything about herself.
Fran’s attitude changes with the arrival of a new co-worker named Robert (Dave Merheje), who she manages to make laugh on instant messenger. They form a friendship and possibly something more. As a result of this connection, Fran makes more of an effort to be social and get involved with group activities and her guard starts to come down.
The original script had Ridley narrating Fran’s inner thoughts but they collectively decided to get rid of it. This means we spent a lot of time watching Fran go about her ordinary day without any dialogue. She doesn’t like to chat and she’s a wallflower, so we are brought into her perspective as a quiet observer.
Some people might think this approach is dull but it’s still compelling thanks to Ridley’s ability to communicate what Fran’s feeling with just her facial expressions. We don’t need the dialogue, although you do wish she’d talk to her colleagues sometimes.
Most films star big and loud characters with dramatic lives but Sometimes I Think About Dying – just like Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days – focuses on the life of a quiet, ordinary person and proves they’re just as interesting.
It would have been nice to know more about Fran’s backstory to understand why she is the way she is. However, considering she doesn’t want people to know much about her, it makes sense that we don’t know this information either.
On films like Star Wars, the action can sometimes compete with the performances, whereas in this pared-back drama, all the bells and whistles usually surrounding Ridley are stripped away and it all rests upon her acting.
Thankfully, this is an excellent showcase for her talents, proving that she can deliver in both big blockbusters and understated dramas.
In cinemas from Friday 19th April.
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