'Next Exit' Review: Walking The Fine Line Between Fantasy And Reality
‘Next Exit’ thoughtfully navigates our complex relationship with life after death, suggesting that our lack of knowledge may be a good thing.
The concept of an afterlife is an extremely complicated and polarizing issue - and likely one that mankind will never reach a unified consensus upon. Throughout history, thousands of intelligent thinkers have disagreed about what waits for us after death; if anything at all. And whilst Mali Elfman’s latest sci-fi thriller Next Exit doesn’t aim to resolve this age-old discussion, it certainly attempts to put our minds at rest by suggesting that maybe it doesn’t even matter. Knowledge of the afterlife is seemingly unattainable, and the only thing that we’ve gained as a result of this endless debate is a larger distance between ourselves and our conflicting understandings of the universe. Through a sharply-written narrative of loss, regret, and purpose, Next Exit presents the viewer with some hard truths about humanity. The film poses to its audience that the creation and maintenance of real, meaningful relationships are infinitely more valuable than any knowledge about what’s waiting for us when it’s all over.
Next Exit opens with the chilling sight of a young child communicating with the ghost of his father, and when scientists label this unique experience as unequivocal proof of an afterlife, willing participants from all over America rush to San Francisco to participate in a so-called ‘clinical trial’ that aims to study the effects and consequences of death on human beings. Put simply - these people are walking to their deaths, just to see what’s waiting for them. It’s this solemn journey that brings our protagonists Rose (Katie Parker) and Teddy (Rahul Kohli) together on the road, forced to share each other’s company as they take their final steps toward the aptly-named Life Beyond institute. But as the pair undergo this journey together, they soon begin to realize that leaving their lives behind won’t be as simple (or easy) as they initially expected.
It might sound like a bleak and depressing story, and whilst there are several intense moments that really push home the severity of Next Exit’s dark themes, Elfman also manages to incorporate lots of effective humor and personality into the film’s versatile screenplay that keeps things engaging and unpredictable from start to finish. Parker and Kohli craft a brilliant on-screen chemistry that allows their relationship to shift and develop before the audience even has a chance to notice, which is why the film’s emotional beats hit so much harder than expected. There’s something incredibly personal about following two people on the way to their deaths, and Next Exit makes the most of this unique atmosphere by being totally transparent about the situation and allowing these characters to be vulnerable with one another. There’s no false bravery or defective humor; Rose and Teddy know exactly how tragic and frightening their situation is, and their honesty really allows the audience to invest themselves in this story.
In sci-fi movies such as this, almost anything is possible. Stories aren’t restricted by the known laws of the universe, nor are they bound by today’s technology. And that’s certainly the case with Next Exit (the ghost-tracking technology is way beyond anything we’re capable of today, and it really adds a chilling layer of dystopia to the story), but the film also remains grounded in reality when it’s most important. It’s an incredibly human story, and despite the futuristic aspects, there’s very little about Next Exit that feels inaccessible or unrealistic. Elfman’s characters are consistently placed at the forefront of her story, and the film displays an impressive level of restraint when it comes to their journey. It’s in the quieter moments that Next Exit really shines, and that’s a testament to both the writing and acting on display in the film.
However, it could definitely be argued that Next Exit has just a few too many of those quiet moments. The film often feels lacking in momentum, and whilst this is an inevitable consequence of its small-scale narrative and intimate storytelling, a slightly faster pace would go a huge way. The somewhat cold and unexpressive progression of the story could be offputting for some audiences, but when the film veers into real emotion and sentiment, it absolutely soars. Parker and Kohli provide two unbelievably passionate performances that really bring their characters to life, and when they’re given the opportunity to really let loose with their emotions, they’re impossible to look away from. But when they’re stuck in those lulls where nothing is really happening, at no fault of their own, their characters simply aren’t compelling enough to really engage with.
Conversely, Next Exit’s stirring conclusion is a fantastic way to bring the entire project together. For the final 10 minutes of the film, Elfman poetically summarizes the key ideas of the film with a gripping sequence that (whilst unpredictable) later feels like it couldn’t have happened any other way. The film does a good job of making its ideas and commentary clear throughout, but it’s not until those final few minutes that the story’s true purpose becomes obvious. Above all else, the film is a warning; both against our incessant strive for knowledge and our collective tendency to prioritize the future above the past and present. Death is something that comes to us all, and whilst it’s natural to search for an explanation to life’s oldest and most universal question, perhaps that’s not where our focus should be. As far as we know, we don’t get a second chance at life. As much as we might believe in ghosts and spirits, the only proof that death leaves us is the millennia-old bones of those who came and left before us. And if we don’t value our lives whilst we have the privilege of experiencing them, they’ll be gone before we’re even done asking why.