Nile, a sleek white cruise ship that stylishly conveys the dead into the afterlife. But Zevin follows 15-year-old Elizabeth Hall, the victim of a hit-and-run driver, into the afterlife, a place known as Elsewhere, where Liz must come to terms with her own death.Įlsewhere, on first glance, appears improbably ordinary, with "buildings, houses, stores, roads, cars, bridges, people, trees, flowers, grass, lakes, rivers, beaches, air, stars and skies." But everyone in Elsewhere is aging backward, which explains why Liz's grandmother Betty is, impossibly, only 34 years old when Liz steps off the S.S. More than a few young adult novels begin with the sudden death of a family member or friend that the protagonist must emotionally deal with in the course of the story. Madeleine L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time" and Natalie Babbitt's "Tuck Everlasting" come to mind - marvelous tales concerned with bending or banishing our forward march through time."Elsewhere," by Gabrielle Zevin, is such a book. Bruno doesn't deserve Marie, and Posey and the supporting cast deserve a better movie.Every so often a book comes along with a premise so fresh and arresting it seems to exist in a category all its own. Her character, Marie, is supposed to represent the light and life that she brings to Bruno, and Posey's acting supports that, but the way she's filmed makes her drab. That said, the lighting and angles aren't always kind to Posey in a way that seems deliberate. The gorgeousness goes beyond catching a drop of water fall off a leaf it's consistent throughout.
In truth, the standout performance comes from director of photography Glauco Bermudez: His landscape cinematography of Sooke, British Columbia, is rich, luxurious, and IMAX-worthy. Parker Posey, Beau Bridges, Jacki Weaver, Jackie Tohn, and Ken Jeong do their best to lift Elsewhere up, but if you want to make a film about depression feel less dreary, you have to give skilled comedic actors like these material that's genuinely funny. Yes, Bruno's wake-up moment costs him something (it costs others more), but since Young shows his emotions by staring into space, that impact isn't felt by viewers.
Some of the characters call him out, but we never get a compelling reason to accompany him on his journey. Bruno's allies try to be supportive and loving during his difficult time, but it's obvious by the end of the film that he's using his grief to get away with being self-absorbed. He's depressed, which is understandable, but eating his co-worker's labeled food in the work fridge isn't. To get on board with Bruno's bizarre decision-making, viewers have to care about him like his friends and family do - and he offers us no reason to do so. While there's plenty of blame to pass around - including the writing, directing, and editing - the biggest problems are the unlikable main character and the star's monotone, cardboard-box acting. This movie's title says it all: If you're looking for entertainment, look Elsewhere. Really, the only reason to see this film is for the gorgeous scenery of Vancouver Island. The consequences for these actions are minor to nonexistent: He gets away with everything and, in some cases, gets ahead. Bruno isn't a great person: He constantly pees outside, steals his co-worker's food, ditches work and a date, and deceives a woman who trusts him. There's a little bit of violence - a character comically shoots a gun into the sky, and a character rams his truck into a tree in hopes of killing himself - and some making out and implied sex/innuendo. But know that the overall attitude projected here is that part of being an adult is getting high, swearing (expect regular use of "f-k" and others), and drinking - characters almost always have a drink in hand. Teens might be drawn in by co-star Ken Jeong, who plays a hoodie-wearing stoner who's shown lighting up a couple of times. Parents need to know that Elsewhere is a dramedy about a widower named Bruno (Aden Young) who's forced to move on after the loss of his wife when he's evicted from the house they built and shared.
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