Love has been represented on screen in every form. Destined love, doomed love. But rarely is love shown to be hard work; a stark reality often ignored by filmmakers in favour of something simpler. Director Bing Liu and writer Martyna Majok make it a core aspect of Preparation for the Next Life. An adaptation of Atticus Lish's novel of the same name, this is a quiet, meditative story that will slowly but assuredly pull you in.
The story follows Aishe (Sebiye Behtiyar), an Uyghur immigrant surviving in New York City's Chinatown. She's undocumented, and the threat of prison or even deportation looms over Aishe as she works hard to build a life for herself in America. Crossing paths with Aishe is homeless soldier Skinner (Fred Hechinger), and the two build a connection. What immediately makes Preparation for the Next Life stand out is how they don't instantly fall for each other. Aishe, in particular, is a guarded individual, but the pair share a curiosity in one another. After bouts of one-upmanship (involving press ups and guzzling beers) and more friendly time together, Aishe and Skinner consider whether they could support each other in living better lives.
Off the back of Oscar-nominated documentary Minding the Gap and All These Sons, Liu brings those films' grounded, observational style to his fiction feature debut. Shots are often handheld, and are often long takes. Preparation for the Next Life asks the audience to surrender to the contemplative tone and pacing, but doing so is massively rewarding. You fall for Aishe and Skinner as they fall for each other, and feel their worries, pain, and hope. Whilst the first half follows the beats of boy-meets-girl, the second half is a heart-wrenching reality check for the characters and audience. Aishe's strict work ethic and Skinner's PTSD complicates their relationship, and becomes a driving factor in the question of whether they can rebuild their lives together.
A drama this pensive simply wouldn't work without stellar performances, and here the cast delivers. Hechinger is riveting as a man barely hiding scars and torment behind a charismatic grin. But Behtiyar is simply phenomenal. On the surface, Aishe is a no-nonsense, headstrong woman who keeps to herself. Her self-determination is admirable, but Behtiyar's subtle expressions tell us she's at breaking point when the whole world is seemingly against her. Behityar has magnetic screen presence; whether she's infuriated, elated, devastated, or full of resolve. Remarkable considering this is Behityar's feature-length debut.
It can be argued that the film can feel a tad too slow and simplistic to truly make an emotional impact, but even the most hardened viewer will find it difficult not to empathise with these characters. Preparation for the Next Life is a sombre yet engaging film carried by a star-making turn from Behtiyar.
Preparation for the Next Life is out now in UK cinemas.
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