No assembly RequireD

What do we want said about us after we die? It is a pretty intense and possibly morbid question to ponder. The simple answer is most likely we want people to say good things about us and we want to be missed. But in the same way we can’t force people to feel one way about us in life we certainly cannot dictate the narrative after we depart. ANIMA the narrative feature debut from Brian Tetsuro Ivie sees controlling the story after we pass as something to be both cherished and infuriated with. A gentle often somber film that wants to grapple with the acceptance of death just as much as it focuses on the people that are left behind still angry and often with good reason. ANIMA may center itself in a modern everyday world with several extreme science fiction innovations but thankfully it steers away from the cruelty of ‘Black Mirror’ and instead seems to bask in the same touching light of say Kogonada. It is a film that balances a handful while also centering it around an easy to approach road trip movie. Sometimes that familiarity doesn’t allow the film to fully reach the depths of the intense themes at hand, but Tetsuro Ivie has a keen eye for knowing when to break the dam and send in the rightfully earned waterworks. Beautifully shot on celluloid film, ANIMA at times feels like a dreamscape or a lost memory only one that has given the person the power to control. The film knows how dangerous this can be and in doing so allows itself to be a reminder that the more we try to make amends after the fact is only a reminder of how little we were there when it mattered.

Beck (Sydney Chander) needs a job. Her post grad life is filled with the usual call backs to let her know they are “going in a different direction.” Beck seems lost but frankly she is no more lost than the average graduate. And yet in a wave of people it is easy to still feel like you are the only one struggling. Her mother (Maria Dizzia) sells recording sessions to local musicians while the ghost of Beck’s late father, a successful singer-songwriter, still dictates the pain left in the house. His CDs are only reopened for Beck to sneak the cash hidden inside them. Tetsuro Ivie’s script (with a story by Brev Moss) does well at always telling us the discomfort inside Beck was left by her father. Chandler, who had a rising success in FX’s ‘Alien: Earth,’ has such expressive eyes that it often leads to great curiosity to know what is going on inside Beck’s mind. But before we can peel that back Beck is offered a job at a mysterious technology company named Anima. The job is simple. She is to pick up one of their high end clients and bring them to the office to sign paperwork and begin treatment. The treatment in question? To upload their consciousness into their software so when he passes he will still be able to communicate with those he left. The client is Paul (Takehiro Hira) a successful business man in the world of buttons. Paul believes he has accepted his death but he is still going to use this road trip as his last apology tour much to Beck’s dismay.

ANIMA quickly becomes a road trip movie where much of its success relies on Beck and Paul working together. Chandler and Hira have instant chemistry that begins as confusion, working much to the film’s favor. At first Beck is kept at a distance allowing Chandler to always display a sense of annoyance that coincides with intrigue. It is akin to that post grad struggle where your determination is still high but never being met. Hira as Paul is more the opposite with the whole acceptance portion fading quickly as he begins to see people not accepting his “apologies.” The film’s calming feeling smartly battles its own co-lead when Paul’s frustration is proof that nothing can be forgiven when the person still wants to come out on top. Like most road trip movies the connection with Beck does grow allowing for its best moments involving Paul’s son Ryan (Maximilian Lee Piazza) that are a heart shattering stop on the road to the end. It is here where the film also keeps its strong stance on technology constantly seeking out the loneliest people making them believe there is a connection. Sometimes there is but normally it pushes those isolated people deeper until they can grow their passion beyond it.

It is impressive to see how all of this is balanced making it more frustrating when things seem to cut short. The relationship between Beck and Paul clearly grows beyond this mundane job as Beck grapples with the father who was never there and Paul deals with being a father that was never there. Paul gets to see the trial of pain he has left while Beck gets to somewhat understand maybe her father never wanted to be around in the first place. Or maybe he just didn’t know how to fully love outside his music. As the film finds itself at quiet moments between the two Chandler gets to really shine showing why she is one of the most exciting new talents. The film feels like it has more to say but chooses to wrap it up in a quick bow.

ANIMA in some of its familiar beats still always feels like a fresh new voice. Brian Testuroi Ivie has a firm  stance but also never feels like aggression is the way to explain those emotions. Aided by a techno fantasy world like score from Montell Fish, ANIMA always wants to be a comfort even in its more heartbreaking moments. It may not always finish every idea it started but it also knows there is always more to a story. It will be exciting to see where that story goes for this bright new talent.

B

ANIMA PREMIERED AT THE 2026 SOUTH BY SOUTH WEST FILM FESTIVAL. IT IS CURRENTLY SEEKING DISTRIBUTION