What do you call sad coffee? Depress-o.
SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING
Astoria is a port city at the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, It is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent white people settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. It is also the setting for the film we’re opening this Friday the 9th: SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING.
Fran (Daisy Ridley sans lightsaber) alternates between wanting to join the party and wanting to crawl under the blanket of lush moss that covers anything left alone for two weeks on the Oregon coast. She works with nice people with whom she has nothing in common. Yet they accommodate her awkward weirdness without changing who they are or trying to change who she is.
SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING is so atmospheric you might want to book a room in Astoria and take a lazy afternoon roaming Fort Stevens State Park, taking in the wreck of the Peter Iredale. Astoria falls into grey stillness when the tourists leave for the season. People either like that or go nuts. Fran seems to like it.
Robert (Dave Merheje) stumbles into a job at Fran’s office. In a turn that shocks no one, Fran and Robert try to connect. Coming from the world outside Astoria, his dorky energy mixes well with the office assortment of personalities. He’s different. Though, a different kind of different than Fran, and it’s what they see in each other.
Oregon is about water. The Mississippi and the Charles carry the history of the places through which they wind. The Columbia River mixes with the Pacific, where Astoria sprouted. The green and grey that we endure and enjoy come from the water that pours copiously from the skies and collects in the rivers of our fair state. SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING quietly weaves in moments familiar to Oregonians: the way light plays on the wallpaper; deer using the stairs; cruise ships in the port; Subarus and glazed doughnuts. The acting is precise and becomes moving as life unfolds differently than any of these characters had planned.
This film is not about suicide, despite its cumbersome and unfortunate title. But the title tells us that thinking about dying is part of living. It’s not about flashy, youthful angst trying to be edgy. It’s about people. Everyday people who are just fine watching the water.
WOW! I would love to see this movie. If it’s half as good as your beautifully-written review, it would be well worth it.
Posted by: Lori Jo Sinclair | February 10, 2024 at 11:35 AM