How Tribeca's "A Second Life" Perfectly Captures Isolation and Depression

The International Feature category is one of if not the most interesting competitions at the Tribeca Film Festival. Artists from all around the globe come together to show the fruits of their labor at one of the biggest and most prestigious festivals in the United States. This year one particular entry has been catching eyes and making them well up with tears, Laurent Slama's A Second Life starring Titane lead, Agathe Rousselle and Alex Lawther. The film's poignant thesis of isolation, human connection, and finding out what really matters has been leaving audiences in a puddle all week for more reasons than you'd think...

Director, Laurent Slama is a French filmmaker who has two other features under his belt, but A Second Life is his first time not using his pseudonym, Elizabeth Vogler, this time using it as the name of his main character. The film follows hearing-impaired concierge, Elizabeth (Rousselle), as she desperately tries to keep her job in the midst of the busiest time of year, the 2024 Paris Olympics. While working at one of her rentals she meets American client, Elijah (Lawther), a rambunctious, free-spirited, extrovert with bright pink hair whose company allows her to re-evaluate her life. The film includes some truly stunning cinematography from Slama who also worked as the screenwriter and DP, making more than a few scenes feel straight from a painting.

There have been countless films throughout the years that attempt to tackle the subject of depression, but A Second Life is easily one of the most authentic and subdued, making it one of the most realistic I've ever seen. Over the course of the runtime, the audience follows a day in Elizabeth's hectic life, being trapped in a job that forces her to put on a forced smile for everyone she meets. She is immediately taken aback and annoyed when her client, Elijah wants to talk and get to know her story instead of just immediately being shown to his hotel room. Elizabeth envies his ability to instantaneously connect with anyone he meets and his seemingly unrelenting optimism about everything. At first glance, Elijah is the stereotypical manic pixie dream boy, but as we get to know him we see that this bright, colorful exterior is just a facade hiding something much darker.

Elizabeth and Elijah are both representations of how different people cope with the same disease. Elizabeth chooses not to hide how she's feeling, to wear her depression on her sleeve, not accommodating the comfort of anyone else. Elijah however chooses to mask his feelings, only revealing his inner turmoil when his body physically cannot take it anymore. Audiences have grown to love Alex Lawther from his performances as teenage psychopath, James in the Netflix series, End of the F***ing World as well as Kenny in the Black Mirror episode: Shut Up and Dance, but his performance in A Second Life is something we haven't really seen from him yet. He's actually quite adept at playing optimistic characters, and audiences will feel immediately drawn to Elijah from the first moment his little pink head pops on screen. Personally, I just wanted to give him a hug.

A Second Life is a quiet film, one that is at its weakest when attempting to do narrated exposition but thrives when the actors are given the space to tell their story through gesture and emotion. Personally, as someone who has a long history of depression, I felt equally seen by both Elizabeth and Elijah's representations. I've been Elizabeth; jaded, closed-off, unwilling to simply get out of my own way. And I've been Elijah, a deeply sad person trying to hide their true emotions behind a wall of phony enthusiasm. A Second Life is the kind of film that heavily relies on finding the right cast, and it's safe to say that Slama and company did just that with Rousselle and Lawther.

A Second Life has only been out for a few days, but I feel confident in calling it an understated gem. It'll make you think, make you cry, but above all it will make you feel seen. Not only for those struggling with depression, but for those just trying to find their place in the world, and for that I am grateful.