Signs Of Life: Review.
Anne (Sarah-Jane Potts) does not speak. Whether by choice or health, it is unknown, but Anne lives her life in silence. Yet Anne is traveling, navigating the airport to an oceanside destination and trying to find a place to stay, all with her notepad and marker as her only means of communication. Set to a melancholy score of strings, Signs of Life follows Anne’s solitary journey through grief, loneliness, and life with few words beyond her personal pages.
Observation is key throughout Signs of Life, whether it is Anne’s observations of others or the audience’s observation of Anne’s experience. The narrative focuses on Anne as she observes life, taking in the mundane, while trying to piece together purpose in the wake of tragedy. Though writer and director Joseph Millson is slow to show every character trait, themes of loss and depression permeate the story in every emotional beat. As Anne meets Bill (David Ganly), a single father longing for a relationship with kids, she finds a platonic partner to build a connection with. Bill gives Anne a place to stay as she processes her grief. The two bond over reading, table tennis, and life, all as Bill laments his divorce and Anne responds with her pen.
Signs of Life is a slow-burning film brimming with heavy themes. Even during the setup and opening moments of the story, Millson conveys themes of regret, anxiety, and loss. With more prominent themes of mental health, Millson explores connections and relationships through Bill’s wanting to do something good and Anne’s desire for isolation, yet longing for a companion. Performances of Potts and Ganly fit the narrative, carrying the heavy burdens of depression in every subtle glance or rare moment of dialogue (at least rare for Anne). Signs of Life has all the tropes of an Oscar-y drama but with the heart of an indie festival favorite.
Tropes of an Oscar-y drama and the heart of an indie darling all sound good on paper. The themes at play in Signs of Life are essential to the landscape of not just film but also exploring the human experience through cinema. Yet the exploration in Signs of Life leaves one wishing for more. Character moments for Anne are powerful, but often too late in the narrative to give the film the punch needed to deliver a character climax in line with the promises of the first act. When Anne reveals the reasons for her silence, it comes so late in the film that it takes away from the finale.
Restructuring the reveal to the middle and then picking up the pieces of Anne’s past could make the second half even more layered and give Potts more to work with in terms of emotional depth. Beyond providing the second half more weight, moving Anne’s reveal also offers the first half more engagement. Signs of Life highlights the small moments of life, but at times subtlety and smallness get in the way of the more significant message.
On a technical filmmaking level, Signs of Life does everything right. The score punctuates every look, word, and feeling in every frame. The premise is intriguing and lends itself to indie drama, giving plenty of room for performers to shine. But Signs of Life takes a slow-burn approach to drama further than necessary, to the point that an audience would start to wonder, “Is anything going to happen?” Between the beyond gradual pace and the delayed payoff, character arcs suffer, leading to moments in the final ten minutes feeling rushed or inorganic to the story. Joseph Millson has tons of promise in indie drama. Millson’s 2022 short Care had an interesting premise, and Signs of Life further showcases those skills. Signs of Life will find an audience, but Millson’s next indie feature will likely earn him the indie accolades this film is seeking.
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