DIE BEFORE YOU DIE (2024)

4 stars

Bulldog Film Distribution. Select Cinemas Out Now. On demand 28th October

Adi (Ziad Abaza, who also co-wrote the script with director Dan Pringle), is a self absorbed vlogger, more interested in pleasing and growing his online audience with his latest stunt or challenge, than interacting with his wife Amira (Priya Blackburn) and young daughter Mia (Layla Hardy). In fact he comes across as a bit of an a-hole.

In a local sisha bar, he is commiserating with his buddy Maz (Mim Shaikh) about trying to get his numbers up, when he is recognised by an apparent fan Lee (Harry Reid) who suggests he can help with a new stunt that will definitely interest his followers – being buried alive six feet under, for three days, in a field with no coffin, no food, just a pipe up to the surface for air and some water each day, plus a light with enough battery for the ordeal. They, perhaps stupidly, both agree.

Come the day they meet with Lee and the group of Sufi Muslim elders, who will facilitate this ‘ceremony’ as they call it. Taken by car, with hoods over their heads, they are told they can’t take their phones into the hole – kind of negating the point of doing it… however they go ahead with it and Adi is first to crawl into the small space and for the hole to be filled with earth.

Thus begins a claustrophobic ‘journey’ which is supposed to give him a sense of what it is to die. As things progress, he begins to realise he may well have made a mistake. He has with him, in his earthen chamber, a small plastic monkey, which his daughter insisted he took and he begins to have a dialogue with himself via the toy. As the time drags on paranoia sets in and he starts to run all kinds of scenarios in his head.

Filmmakers have explored this kind of thing before – for instance BURIED (2010) with Ryan Reynolds – but this takes a slightly differently direction and could be seen as a criticism of online creators constantly looking to pick up new eyeballs on their content – no matter what the cost. This kind of film stands and falls on the central performance, with Abaza on-screen for most of the film – thankfully he is very good in the role, and manages to gradually turn what was an unsympathetic character into one you care about. The director wrings as much suspense, fear and emotion out of the situation. Apart from anything else Adi has the realisation of what he missing out on by his pursuit of fame via vlogging. This is as much about learning about yourself and what is important as it is about being in a possibly deadly position with no escape.

Steve Kirkham