How would you feel if you got an invite to a halfway house between life and death that would give you one extra special experience or memory? In Alexandra Gillespie‘s new fantasy indie JUST ONE LAST THING, such a final opportunity beckons for a few desiring and desirable house guests on their way to the Almighty.
Georgiana Gillespie (daughter of the director) stars as Etta, who gets a chance to look after one terraced property in some unnamed surburban place in the realm of those classic 70s and 80s BBC sitcoms like TERRY AND JUNE. It is here that unfulfilled guests who never quite completed their lives on Earth are given the chance to do one last unfulfilled ambition.
Things get complicated for Etta when her best friend from uni, Olivia (Rebecca Banner), turns up unexpectedly, which throws a spanner in the works for Etta’s determination to impress her boss and try and win the day overall. However, Olivia is also getting glimpses and desires to fulfil one last thing for herself, even if the reality hurts more than it should….
The spiritual world and that connection between the Earth and the light, coupled with having one last moment on Earth with those you are most closest to, has been explored many times over many decades in the likes of A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (AKA STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN), BLITHE SPIRIT, GHOST, THE SIXTH SENSE and THE WOMAN IN BLACK amongst others. JUST ONE LAST THING is more reliant on emotion rather than visual imagery and reference, dealing with the effects of the unexplainable on emotional ideals and well-being.
Fantasy films dealing with the afterlife tend to reflect the times that they are made, as well as the connection that the film-makers have.
JUST ONE LAST THING is a touching and involving analysis of female bonding and sensitivities. It is a movie that relies less on spectacular effects to represent the supernatural and more designed around an emotional heart. It is – significantly – a movie that celebrates feminism without pandering to the virtue-signalling desires of the current woke mindset, something that others should take heed from.
Gillespie leads the line well, with Banner providing a good foil as the best friend The pair have been real-life friends for years and according to their reflections in the post-festival Q and A, drew on their own personal bond to make the on-screen dynamic work even better.
Whether or not it makes you think about your own mortality and where you might be once you draw your last breath is open to debate, but enjoy this touching, if sentimental (something I think we can all do with at the moment in light of all that is going on in this unstable but wonderful world) endeavour.
Judging by the rapturous reception it received after it screened as the LIFF Closing Night Gala (and it also picked up a gong for Best Comedy Feature at the LIFF 2024 Awards today), JUST ONE LAST THING has the potential, given the right push and awareness to become another great British indie favourite.
JUST ONE LAST THING plays as part of the London Independent Film Festival. For tickets and info please go to:
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