Die Before You Die is the wake up call we all avoid, but need to hear.
A Youtuber’s nail-biting descent into a seemingly clear-cut collapse poses the inevitable question – how much should we care what other people think?
Director Dan Pringle opens the film with the main character Adi (Ziad Abaza) having what can only be described as a high-energy mental breakdown. Turns out, he’s completing a YouTube challenge, and it’s not actually that big of a deal.
Adi and his friend Maz soon (Mim Shaikh) find themselves in a shisha bar, and are approached by the slightly-offbeat Lee (Harry Reid), who is a fan of Adi’s videos. He proposes a challenge to end all challenges – being buried alive.
What follows is a sequence of events led by the spiritual force of Al-Fayez (Falah Hashim), who presents confusingly as a good and bad omen.
Adi seems to say yes to what any reasonable person would say no. A ‘leap of faith’ transpires as the best – and worst – decision he ever makes. Oh, but it’s okay, it might get him some more subscribers.
Abaza delivers a fantastic performance of a rightfully-cringeworthy egotist which is seen too often online nowadays. His wife Amira (Priya Blackburn) provides the necessary scorn of Adi’s disconnect from the real world.
The separation between fight or flight is visibly marred by a sense of false pride, which inevitably drives the plot of this film.
By essentially giving the ‘inner monologue’ its own two legs, Pringle really tapped into the question of how we make decisions. Here, that voice is the assisting angel, and the devil of self-annihilation.
Events were mostly predictable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the context of the film’s underlying message of keeping the ego in check.
The plot reminds us of the power of the internet in warping reality. Living in an online age and being easily influenced is all too familiar.
A Midsommar-like influence on the film felt slightly far-fetched, but certainly achieved in providing the contrast of what it is like to live in the tangible world, rather than a digital one.
Pringle leaves an ambiguous ending up to audience interpretation. What you make of it depends on whether you judge the cup as half full, or half empty.
Die Before You Die feels formulaic, but in an effective and impactful way. Dramatisation of the extremes of what a person will do to be noticed, to cultivate others opinions of them is something that arguably, every person with an online presence can relate to.
If you weren’t living in the moment before this film, you certainly will be after it.
Featured image: Nicole Covell
