Directed by Bing Liu and written by Martyna Majok, based on the book by Atticus Lish. Aishe, a Uyghur woman, trained by her military father, migrates to NYC where she finds herself labouring in Chinatown’s underground kitchens. She fatefully encounters Skinner, a young American soldier who just returned from three tours in the Middle East. Starring: Sebiye Behtiyar, Fred Hechinger, Landyn Lu, Ella Rouwen Chen, B. Todd Johnston and Maxwell Almono.
Undeniably Preparation for the Next Life covers a handful of different topics that are hugely relevant to life in the United States right now: immigration, PTSD, medical care, policing, fair wages, to name a few. They’re all more than worthy subjects to explore and doing so in a humbler style to portray the everyday reality was a great choice but sadly, the film simply doesn’t hold the weight to do them justice. Things start off on rocky footing, it doesn’t make much of a first impression, it’s a little unfocused or sporadic and ultimately, it feels like it never truly finds itself.
There’s no substantial energy or tone to Preparation for the Next Life, it’s all fairly one-noted and bland. There’s so much hurt and pain within the story, but it’s not expressing that in an impactful way. When that’s then paired with a romance which isn’t entirely convincing, and feels more like two people in need of human connection, rather than as a couple, the problem worsens. It’s a shame as the journey within the story, particularly for Aishe (Sebiye Behtiyar) is very worth exploring, but while aesthetically it has a compelling touch, in no small part thanks to the cinematography from Ante Cheng, tonally it’s missing the mark.
Another reason that’s a shame is that the performances from Sebiye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger had the potential to deliver something more devastating, but they weren’t really given the chance. Their chemistry is relatively weak, but the emotion and intensity of their performances is great. The way that they capture the fractured, conflicted, lost nature of their characters could have been something special. Yet, without the tone or energy to the direction, or even an affecting score, to drive it further, it can only get so far.
Preparation for the Next Life had a great concept and you can feel its admirable intentions, but the execution falls short. It can feel somewhat stagnant as it enters its second half, the story is moving forward but the style and tone never evolve or intensify. Sebiye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger do their best to compensate for that, but unfortunately, it’s not quite enough.
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