Austin Film Festival 2026
Death has a following, apparently 109 billion strong, and in writer-director Ela Thier’s 109 Billion Followers, he has a face familiar to most moviegoers. J.K. Simmons plays the Grim Reaper in this unusual tale about a young filmmaker forced to confront her past and the relationships she has all but abandoned. The premise is clever, the characters have interesting stories to tell, and the film offers some genuinely engaging moments. Still, it doesn’t always come together as well as it should, and surprisingly, Simmons is part of the problem.
Emma (Olivia Simmons), a lonely film student, decides to make a documentary about a homeless man who claims to be Death himself. With the help of her cameraman Gary (Jake Ryan), she follows the mysterious stranger, who eventually takes her on a peculiar journey through her own life. Along the way, Emma encounters younger versions of herself and faces memories and feelings she has spent years avoiding. Her strained relationship with her mother (Nina Arianda) and her reluctance to let anyone get too close become central to a story that is as much about living as it is about dying.
Olivia Simmons handles the complicated character well enough, particularly as Emma begins to recognize how much of her life she has spent keeping people at a distance. There is a cleverness to Thier’s story and an interesting progression in Emma’s character development. The visits to her younger selves offer a creative way to explore the experiences that shaped her, although the execution doesn’t always match the imagination behind the idea.
J.K. Simmons, an Oscar-winning actor capable of commanding virtually any scene, seems oddly underused here. His Grim Reaper is certainly important to the story, but his presence feels almost decorative. He is the recognizable star and a central figure, yet somehow manages to feel like set dressing. I couldn’t shake the impression that his casting had more to do with supporting his daughter than with what the role actually required. That’s not a criticism of his talent, which is considerable, but rather how little the film seems to demand of it.
At times, 109 Billion Followers feels like a film school project, one with an imaginative concept and something meaningful to say, but without the polish needed to bring all its pieces together. Some of the storytelling works quite well, while other moments feel less assured. Thier clearly has ideas worth exploring, but the film doesn’t consistently deliver on their promise.
For the most part, I enjoyed 109 Billion Followers. Its unusual premise and Emma’s developing awareness of herself kept me interested, even when the film faltered. There is talent here and enough originality to make the experience worthwhile. I just wish the finished product had been as strong as the idea behind it. And with J.K. Simmons in the cast, I expected considerably more than a familiar face under the Grim Reaper’s hood.