With such surly sentimentality, Claudia Lonow’s D(e)ad could be the Lifetime movie-of-the-week on the unhinged and uncensored network in Swearnet. But, that isn’t a knock against Lonow’s very funny dramedy – it’s a compliment towards the film’s charm and the honesty behind grief as penned by screenwriter/star Isabella Roland. Brilliantly enough, while watching D(e)ad, the audience is always on the razor’s edge of laughing or crying.

Daniel has been a lousy father and a brash friend to most, but he finds sympathy from his harshest critics when he’s, essentially, on his deathbed ailing from cancer. His youngest daughter Tillie (Roland) is still standing her ground though. After writing her father out of her life, a confused and delirious overheard confession from Daniel causes Tillie to miss out on her final moments with her dad. Existing with some pseudo-unfinished business, Daniel can be seen by family, from a “liminal space” in mirrors and he can talk to them too (which is welcomed with minimal enthusiasm). Try as she might to not care, Tillie is bothered that her dad doesn’t show up for her. Could this be tied to what’s holding Daniel back from the afterlife?

Craig Bierko, otherwise known as the faux-Tom Cruise in Scary Movie 4, is endearing in very obnoxious ways as Daniel. But instead of leaving him as a leech, Bierko is given a nice arc that equally fives him his comeuppance and a redemption. Roland is fantastic as the bitter but heartbroken Tillie, and the supporting cast around her find their spotlight as well during this far-out yet touching story.

D(e)ad portrays the bitterness of Tillie’s family quite well, although the abrasive language and confrontation behaviours take some getting used to. However, the audience soon understands the frequency these people can only correspond with each other on. Once that connection is made, fantasy and sci-fi elements and all, D(e)ad becomes one of the most relatable movies about grief in recent memory.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie