"Ann Marie Fleming's dystopian fable opens, not with gnarly destruction, but birdsong and lush greenery. The sensorial calm of rustling ferns and blushing bell flowers envelop the frame, while the Ink Spots' recording of I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire plays softly in the background. This music cue recurs throughout the film, with each appearance more menacing than the last. Indeed, something wicked is lurking within this Edenic cocoon."
"Not only that, a method of population control is put in place where people are voluntarily euthanised after turning 50. Daniel and Kia, it turns out, are Witnesses, designated community workers who monitor these end-of-life procedures. There's an engaging contrast between the seasoned Daniel and wide-eyed Kiah, who documents the activities in her drawings; this quirk is echoed in the film's visual style, which incorporates colourful animation into live-action images."
A dystopian fable opens with birdsong and lush greenery, accompanied by a recurring recording of I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire that grows more menacing with each reprise. A radiant single mother, Ellie, entrusts her daughter Kiah to Daniel as they embark on a community mission. After catastrophic environmental disasters, society has gone unplugged and instituted voluntary euthanasia at age fifty. Daniel and Kiah serve as Witnesses who monitor end-of-life procedures. Visual flourishes include colourful animation blended into live-action. Performances and chemistry between leads are strong, but ethical complexity and character development remain underexplored, and the conclusion feels rushed.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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