There’s always a risk when talking about death in movies, in that the subject matter will be emotive to every single person watching. Independent film If You Should Leave Before Me comes from filmmakers who have clearly meditated on the idea of loss, and approach it through a story that comes across as tender and human.
Shane P. Allen and John Wilcox play Mark and Joshua, a married couple of many years who are unable to confront a devastating tragedy. They throw themselves into their rather unusual job – helping the recently deceased transition into The Afterlife. As their own pain grows, however, rifts in their world begin to manifest, both physically and emotionally, leading to a confrontation neither want to face.
The film begins with a degree of normality, with the couple debating coffee and couches. The dialogue can be slightly pointed in the beginning, but establishes a bond between the two, which eventually becomes the backbone of this sweet tale. Directors J. Markus and Boyd Anderson explore love in all its forms through the people Mark and Joshua help: a black man who secretly loved a white woman during a time that it was forbidden, a woman whose true love was an internet scammer, and a man who grew up in hatred who knew no love at all. Each help amplify the love the two leads feel for each other, and inform the tough decisions that come later.
Considering the often-limited means of independent film, this movie comes to life through spectacular visual choices. While technically set in one home, the doors that Mark and Joshua walk through lead to imaginative lands where the aesthetic reflects the life of the person in it. Opting for simple but striking visuals, the set becomes a Rubik’s Cube of possibilities as the couple’s tasteful front room is twisted and broken by the events to come. The production value gives the movie a sense of quirkiness and adventure that films with far bigger budgets can only dream of.
Allen and Wilcox are an endearingly strong pairing. To brand the film an LGBTQ+ movie is strictly correct, but while the facts of their marriage are specific to the community, the love they have will feel universally relatable. The former beams with affection for the latter, who provides most of the film’s laughs, as well as a wacky fight scene in the third act.
With an ending that will bring a tear to your eye, this movie confronts grief in a way that never comes close to being maudlin, with filmmakers who can bring even the toughest subjects vividly to life.
If You Should Leave Before Me premiered at Raindance. Click here in order to read our exclusive interview with the filmmakers.
