Although many viewers may be drawn to Little Death to see the lead performance from David Schwimmer, they may be disappointed to find that he’s only in part of the film. Indeed, this ambitious feature debut from music video director Jack Begert feels like two movies crammed together, resulting in an intriguing — if not entirely compelling — experience.
As Little Death begins, it’s a nightmarish, surreal comedy best described as a mixture of Charlie Kaufman and Ari Aster. This story of a middle-aged filmmaker having a crisis is weird, funny, off-putting, and bites off way more than it can chew. Still, it’s a singular vision that will strike a chord with the right audience.
Then, the movie takes a massive shift and begins to follow a different set of characters for its second half. Essentially, it becomes a “heist gone wrong” movie, where the criminals scramble to pick up the pieces of their lives. It’s far more conventional than the first half but also much more agreeable.
Little Death is too disjointed to work
Unfortunately, while either of these halves (if expanded, of course) could have made for an interesting movie on their own, they don’t tie together well. Although the story makes sense, the two threads don’t connect tonally or thematically, and the result is an experience that feels incredibly jarring.
The other frustrating thing about Little Death is that what it tries to say is never clear. Begert and co-writer Dani Goffstein have a lot on their minds, but watching this movie is like listening to a person rant about a bunch of random stuff — some of which is utterly unhinged. For example, a big part of the conflict in the first half revolves around the protagonist having to change the character of his autobiographical story into a woman to attract funding, and the script lacks the tact to pull off any satirical edge.
That being said, the level of artistic ambition on display — particularly in the first half — is impressive. The film’s use of animation taken from AI-generated art is a love-it-or-hate-it stylistic decision that will make or break a viewer’s perception of the movie. The second half is much more straightforward from a stylistic standpoint, but it’s still competently made.
The other highlight of Little Death is the performances. David Schwimmer is the film’s MVP, channeling his best rendition of Nicolas Cage in Adaptation. It’s the type of dryly funny but emotional performance that signals the beginning of a second coming for the star. The second half is led by Dominic Fike, who is much quieter here than usual but likable. The supporting cast has some good bit parts from people like Gabby Hoffman, Fred Melamed, Travis Bennett, Talia Ryder, and Seth Green.
Little Death is unique in many ways, and while not all of its ambitious swings work out in its favor, enough pieces work here for it to be a compelling, mostly entertaining watch. Hopefully, Begert will be able to apply his incredibly idiosyncratic and distinctive directorial voice to a more cohesive script.
Little Death is screening at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 18-28 in-person in Park City, UT and online from January 25-28.
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