Paul (Takehiro Hira, recently seen in Rental Family) is an older Asian man who has terminal cancer, the CEO of a button company; he has no close friends or relatives. Beck (Sydney Chandler, currently in the series Alien: Earth) is a young woman adrift in the world. She’s looking for work, but when she interviews for a job, she is found to be “not a good fit”. She finally finds a position at the new company, Anima (meaning “soul” or “vital force”). They have developed a process that allows dying people to store their personalities and memories in a sort of cloud that allows their friends to communicate with them after their death. The plan is that the client goes to their facility, has their data transferred, and then takes a drug to induce their death.
Beck’s job is to drive clients to the distant facility. Paul is her first job. At the first meeting, both are very insular and closed off. Along the way, Paul makes stops at places meaningful to him. Beck has always felt isolated because her famous musician father was never around and did not seem to care. Her mother wasn’t very warm either. Slowly, the two travelers find some growth and empathy for each other as Paul’s journey heads to an end.
Working in film since 2015, Japanese American director Brian Tetsuro helms his fifth picture. Also active as a writer, editor, and producer, he brings sympathy and understanding to a delicate plot. The two main characters, who thought they had learned all they needed to know to exist, find that there was much they had missed along the way. Special mention for Lili Taylor and Marin Ireland, who add much to the story. Highly recommend.