EVERY TIME I DIE

 

A journey of self discovery through inhabiting the consciousness of others is the kind of mind-bending sci-fi idea that offers so many creative opportunities to deliver something really quite spectacular. In Robi Michael's directorial debut, Every Time I Die, we see this happen to Sam (Drew Fonteiro) when he is murdered and his consciousness is transferred to the bodies of his friends, trying to warn them of the killer on the loose. The loop he enters leads to a path to finding his own true identity.

With a significantly lower budget to work with than another sci-fi film such as Tenet, Robi Michael delivers a solid debut feature that exudes a confident presence as a filmmaker. Along with Gal Katzir, Michael has written an ambitious screenplay that doesn't quite reach the stars but manages to stray away from falling into the traps of failure, particularly for a film of this ilk that can sometimes get lost in its own narrative.

One of the most important things the film gets right is not going so over-the-top with the premise that it alienates itself from the audience, Michael and Katzir weaving an emotionally driven narrative that strikes a chord and is aided visually by some good camerawork by Tal Laar.

The performances keep the film grounded too, Drew Fonteiro leading the film with an assured turn as Sam, a troubled soul whose emotional journey unfolds through not just his eyes but those of his friends too. The supporting cast all do a decent job of keeping the film at a watchable quality but no one pushing themself to elevate their performance and the film to another level.

Every Time I Die is certainly worth a watch if you're looking for a not so straightforward sci-fi film, offering up an emotinal narrative that really does work well and the sort of thing you'd only be able to find in indepenedent films like itself.

Verdict: ★★★