It’s altogether fitting that “She Dies Tomorrow” was scheduled to have its world premiere at a film festival that was canceled, South by Southwest, because Amy Seimetz’s indie drama is definitely a movie for this particular, strange and scary time. Seimetz didn’t know it when she made the film, of course, but a movie based on a pervasive sense of all-encompassing dread that spreads from person to person is pretty much right in tune with the prevailing mood of 2020.
It’s a movie about existential panic that happens to be coming out at a time of, well, existential panic. That might make it the last thing some people want to see at this point, or it might make it a disquieting indie thrill ride through a dysfunctional world that isn’t really ours but kind of feels like it.
The lead character, probably not coincidentally named Amy, is played Kate Lyn Sheil, who might be best known for the TV series “House of Cards” and Seimetz’s “The Girlfriend Experience” but is a veritable indie queen through films like “Kate Plays Christine” and “Silver Bullets.” The first time we see her, it’s a closeup of her eye as a tear squeezes out. In short order, we learn that she’s bought a new house, she had a fight with her boyfriend and she’s unutterably sad for an unspecified reason.
Seimetz, who previously directed the 2011 feature “Sun Don’t Shine” as well as “The Girlfriend Experience,” isn’t interested in spelling things out. Things happen in quick flashes or are glimpsed through a doorway from the next room; especially in the movie’s opening stretch, scenes end abruptly and feel truncated, as if there’s more to say but no time to say it.
And Amy feels that way, too, because it turns out that she’s convinced that she’s going to die the next day. She may not know how or why, but she’s certain it’s going to happen, to the point where she’s looking into the logistics of having herself skinned and made into a leather jacket after her death.
Of course this plan makes no sense, but “She Dies Tomorrow” isn’t about sense. Deliciously disjointed and dreamlike, it eludes easy tracking and relies on the odd beauty of its imagery; at first, it makes you wonder how David Lynch might tackle a film about depression.
Wandering through her new house, which is still filled with unpacked boxes, Amy puts on a beaded gown and resists entreaties to calm down. When her friend Jane (played by Jane Adams, herself a friend of Seimetz’s and an indie queen from an earlier generation) suggests over the phone that Amy relax and see a movie, she dismissively responds, almost in a whisper, “A movie’s an hour and a half” – i.e., far too much time to waste. But Amy finds lots of time for Mozart’s Requiem, though, to be fair, she never seems to make it past the “Lacrimosa,” four minutes of doomy grandeur.
Worried about her friend, Jane comes to visit and finds Amy in the yard, in the dark and in her beaded dress with a glass of wine and a leaf blower. Amy explains that she knows she’s going to die tomorrow, which freaks out Jane so much that she leaves. Shortly thereafter, Jane is awakening in a cold sweat, convinced that she too is going to die the next day.
Faster than you can say “COVID-19,” the paranoia spreads from one character to another, barreling through a supporting cast that includes Chris Messina, Katie Aselton, Josh Lucas, Tunde Adebimpe and others. Jane drops in on a birthday soiree thrown by her brother and sister-in-law, and before long they and their party guests are gripped by the same fear. The story unfolds in stops and starts, in flashbacks (not always as helpful as they ought to be) and in dreamy images; everybody has their moments of doomy revelation, often while lit by stark blue or red light.
What started as a creepy psychodrama about depression can’t help but morph into a fatalistic black comedy, and from there into a horror movie of sorts — or maybe it remains all of those things at once, a disturbing balancing act given life by Sheil’s haunted gaze and Seimetz’s purposefully disorienting but chillingly evocative storytelling.
Most of the movie takes place during the long night that precedes the “tomorrow” every character is dreading — and at one point during that night, Amy changes the voicemail greeting on her phone to a simple, “There’s no need to leave a message.” And the movie itself, which confronts us with and revels in its vagueness, isn’t trying to leave us with a message, particularly one about a specific viral pandemic we’re facing. But its exploration of a spreading panic and fear of death can’t help but speak to the sense of malaise and dread that is never far from the surface these days.
Neon is releasing “She Dies Tomorrow” in theaters on July 31 and VOD on Aug. 7.
All the Hollywood Films Arriving on Demand Early Because of the Coronavirus
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.
Disney/Warner Bros./Universal
"Trolls World Tour"
The sequel to the 2017 animated hit announced it would be available for digital download on April 10 -- the same day it was supposed to land in theaters. Now it's a VOD exclusive.
Universal Pictures
"Birds of Prey"
The Margot Robbie spinoff of 2017's "Suicide Squad" debuted on demand on March 24. The film grossed $84 million since opening on Feb. 4.
Warner Bros.
"The Hunt"
The Universal/Blumhouse horror film was first delayed from release last fall due to controversy over its violent content -- and then sidelined after its March 13 opening by the coronavirus. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"The Invisible Man"
The Universal horror film starring Elisabeth Moss grossed nearly $65 million since its Feb. 26 release in theaters. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"Emma."
Focus Features' adaptation of the Jane Austen novel opened in limited release Feb. 21 -- and picked up $10 million in ticket sales until the pandemic shut down theaters. It's available to stream now.
Focus Features
"Bloodshot"
The Vin Diesel comic-book movie opened March 6 and grossed $10 million before theaters shut down. It's available on VOD now.
Sony Pictures
"I Still Believe"
Lionsgate's biopic starring K.J. Apa as Christian music star Jeremy Camp hit VOD on March 27 -- just two weeks after it opened in theaters.
Lionsgate
"The Way Back"
Warner Bros. released the Ben Affleck drama "The Way Back" -- which grossed $13 million in theaters since its March 6 opening -- on VOD less than three weeks later, on March 24.
Warner Bros.
"Onward"
Disney and Pixar’s animated feature was made available for purchase on Friday, March 20, and the film hit Disney+ on April 3.
Disney/Pixar
"Sonic the Hedgehog"
Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog" set a new record for video game adaptations with a $58 million domestic opening weekend on Feb. 14 and has grossed $306 million worldwide theatrically. It's available on demand now.
Paramount Pictures
"The Call of the Wild"
20th Century Studios' feel-good film starring Harrison Ford and a giant CGI dog is available on demand now.
20th Century
"Downhill"
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation, a married couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. It's available on demand now.
Fox Searchlight
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is the story of two teenage cousins from rural Pennsylvania who journey to New York City to seek an abortion. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and walked away with a Special Jury award. It's available for VOD now.
Focus Features
"Endings, Beginnings"
"Endings, Beginnings," a romantic drama from Drake Doremus starring Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan, opened early on digital on April 17 and on demand on May 1. It was meant to open theatrically on May 1.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"To the Stars"
"To the Stars," a period drama set in 1960s Oklahoma that stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman and Tony Hale, was bumped up to a digital release on April 24 and an on demand release on June 1. Martha Stephens directed the film that premiered at Sundance in 2019 and was meant to be released theatrically by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Impractical Jokers: The Movie"
truTV's first-ever feature-length film arrived early on digital on April 1. Follow James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Joe Gatto, and Sal Vulvano, aka The Tenderloins, playing themselves in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early '90s.
truTV
"Artemis Fowl"
Disney's adaptation of the Eoin Colfer fantasy novel "Artemis Fowl" was meant to debut in theaters on May 29 but premiered exclusively on Disney+. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.
Disney
"The Infiltrators"
The theatrical release of Oscilloscope's docu-thriller "The Infiltrators" has been postponed, and the film was released on both Cable On Demand and Digital Platforms starting June 2.
Oscilloscope
"Working Man"
The March 27 theatrical release of "Working Man" has been canceled due to the theater closures, and the film premiered on May 5 via Video On Demand.
Brainstorm Media
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story"
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story," a sports documentary executive produced by NBA star Steph Curry, was made available for streaming on the new service Altavod between April 16-18 for $7.99 and is available for pre-order beginning April 9. 10% of all the proceeds will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts. The documentary tells the story of the player, Kenny Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot, and it features interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bobby Knight and more.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
"Scoob!"
Warner Bros. announced on April 11 that it would release the family animated film “Scoob!” for digital ownership and premium video on-demand on May 15, making it the second film (after Universal's "Trolls World Tour") to cancel a planned theatrical release and head straight to home release pandemic.
Warner Bros.
"The King of Staten Island"
"The King of Staten Island," the comedy starring and co-written by "SNL" star Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow, skipped its theatrical release date of June 19 and opened one week early on VOD everywhere on June 12.
Universal Pictures
"The High Note"
"The High Note," the latest film from "Late Night" director Nisha Ganatra that stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, made its premiere on VOD on May 29. It was meant to open on May 8 theatrically.
Focus Features
"Waiting for the Barbarians"
Ciro Guerra's film starring Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson was originally slated for a theatrical release but was picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films to instead be released via cable on demand and on digital in August
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Irresistible"
Jon Stewart's latest film, a political comedy called "Irresistible," will skip theaters and make its premiere online for on demand digital rental on June 26. The film from Focus Features stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne and was meant to open in theaters on May 29.
Daniel McFadden / Focus Features
"My Spy"
The Dave Bautista action comedy "My Spy" was originally meant for a theatrical release from STXfilms and was due to hit theaters in March. Amazon then acquired the film from STX and will now release it on streaming on June 26.
Amazon Studios
"The One and Only Ivan"
The animated Disney film based on Thea Sharrock's best-selling children's book "The One and Only Ivan" is the latest feature to skip theaters and move to Disney+. The movie features the voice talent of Angelina Jolie, Danny Devito, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren. The film was previously slated for theatrical release on August 14 but will now debut on Disney+ one week later on Aug. 21.
Disney
"The Secret Garden"
The re-imagining of the book "The Secret Garden" was meant to open in UK theaters in April but delayed its theatrical release until August. But STXfilms will now release the StudioCanal and Heyday Films movie on PVOD for $19.99 on August 7 in North America. "The Secret Garden" stars Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.
STXfilms
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”Irresistible“ joins a list of big films heading to digital home entertainment platforms early
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.