Directed by Matthew Arnold & Freddie Wong, Written by Matthew Arnold, Will Campos & Beth May, starring Ashley Burch & Jordan Rodrigues

With the recent success of the films Obsession and Backrooms some have speculated that a wave of “YouTube Filmmakers” is set to make good in the Hollywood studio system. While it is a net positive that young filmmakers have been able to hone their craft and build an audience on the platform that translates to cinemas, the phenomenon is not entirely new. Freddie Wong built his career demonstrating a deft capacity for visual effects, and while he may not have had a smash hit at the box office, he has built a strong enough reputation to have collaborated with Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key as well as Jon Favreau. Since We’re All Gonna Die was released in 2024 it’s a safe bet that many have not even heard of this quaint indie, dark comedy, sci-fi, existential romance, but it stands as early evidence of what the world is now acknowledging: You can learn everything you need to make fine films with a laptop and a willingness to work hard.

In the not-too-distant future (again) an utterly mysterious “thing” has appeared on earth – a mammoth object that looks something like a tentacle falling down to earth from the sky. Periodically it will disappear from its location and reappear elsewhere, causing untold havoc and physics-bending consequences. If that sounds like a hugely intriguing premise then fair warning: it is merely the backdrop against which this relationship dramedy unfolds. Nothing of the nature of this object is ever explored or explained, and apart from serving as the catalyst to the “plot” (which is really just a road trip), this is a story that could have been told without an inexplicable soft sci-fi adjacent hook.
The actual story follow Thalia and Kai (played by Ashley Burch & Jordan Rodrigues) as travelers who are forced into each other’s company when the “Spike” spontaneously displaces Kai’s car and Thalia’s livelihood across the country. As they take the journey to retrieve their stuff, they discover that each is grieving a significant loss, and are forced to confront truths about themselves that they’d rather avoid.

The film is about trauma, which is an increasingly popular theme across film and television, which unfortunately takes some of the sting out of the narrative in this case. Stories built around characters who need to makes healthier choices to deal with their unresolved issues have been done well, and created engaging and insightful art – in the case of We’re All Gonna Die, the beats are very obvious from the moment the characters are introduced. Leaning in to the “quirky comedy” aspect means many of the conversations between the characters need to be amusing, which actually robs the audience of the chance to empathise more fully with the tragedy.
This is not to say that the film is bad – it’s fine. The comic elements are amusing, if rarely laugh-out-loud funny, and there is a genuine sense of intrigue at exploring this world in a quiet, slow apocalypse, where humanity have simply gotten used to this potentially terrible force. The performances of the lead actors – who really have to shoulder the whole film – are great. Frustrating and sympathetic in exactly the right doses, they are also both funny, though it seems as though the comedy comes through Ashley Burch a little more naturally.

At just over 90 minutes it’s a decent ride, though the climax in the final 10 minutes does get a little lost trying to tie the resolution of the character arcs to the metaphysical Spike. It may not be a film for the ages, but it is exactly the kind of project that should be encouraged and supported, as it largely succeeds as an original story. If you don’t tend to lean towards indie films, this won’t win you over. If you’re the type who likes to sample everything from the buffet, this is worth a look.