Can I Get a Witness? review – Sandra Oh leads the line in dystopian future fable of planned death | Movies

Ann Marie Fleming’s dystopian fable opens, not with gnarly destruction, however birdsong and luxurious greenery. The sensorial calm of rustling ferns and blushing bell flowers envelop the body, whereas the Ink Spots’ recording of I Don’t Wish to Set the World on Fireplace performs softly within the background. This music cue recurs all through the movie, with every look extra menacing than the final. Certainly, one thing depraved is lurking inside this Edenic cocoon.Issues begin out innocently sufficient. We see Ellie (Sandra Oh), a radiant single mom, entrusting her daughter Kiah (Keira Jang) to the care of Daniel (Joel Oulette) because the pair of younger adults head off on an essential mission. It’s rapidly revealed, nonetheless, that the pastoral fantastic thing about their environment comes with a value. Within the aftermath of catastrophic environmental disasters, the human race has determined to change into unplugged. Not solely that, a way of inhabitants management is put in place the place individuals are voluntarily euthanised after turning 50. Daniel and Kia, it seems, are Witnesses, designated neighborhood staff who monitor these end-of-life procedures.There’s an interesting distinction between the seasoned Daniel and wide-eyed Kiah, who paperwork the actions in her drawings; this quirk is echoed within the movie’s visible fashion, which includes vibrant animation into live-action photographs. In distinction to those full of life thrives, the narrative itself feels timid, by no means delving totally into the moral implications behind the concept of particular person sacrifice for the better good. Even when Kiah faces the ethical quandary of her mom’s impending demise (of which she is going to most likely be the facilitator), such knotty dilemmas are sentimentally explored. It’s a disgrace, contemplating the superb performances and fantastic chemistry between Oh and Jang, because the mom and daughter. However in prioritising world-building particulars and expository dialogue over character improvement, the movie swerves in direction of a conclusion that feels rushed, regrettably. Can I Get a Witness? is in UK and Irish cinemas from 19 September.