Next Exit is a science-fiction comedy-drama that follows two strangers, Teddy (Rahul Kohli) and Rose (Katie Parker) as they travel across the US to take part in a new study that tracks people after death. Along the way, they both come to see that there is more to life than finding an easy way out of it.
★★★★✰
When the chemistry of the film’s two leads – Teddy and Rose – comes to life, their spark remains for the rest of the runtime. It takes a little bit for Next Exit to get past the somewhat tedious banter of two strangers placed in an awkward situation. However, when Teddy makes a dark joke about the first time he tried to kill himself, Rose reciprocates with the same twisted humour, and the energy between them comes to life. Next Exit is not going to be for everyone. With dour sensibilities and deliberately morose humour, it will not be a journey that everyone is willing to take. However, thanks to the sheer connection between its leads, Next Exit is a strangely life-affirming film that challenges its audiences in enjoyable ways.
This emotional challenge is personified through Teddy and Rose, two strangers who are looking for different things from a new treatment that promises them a way out of this life. Teddy wants to be a part of something bigger, and Rose is looking for an easy method to end it all. Their journey together will bring about a new sense of peace, and force them to confront their demons.
Next Exit takes a refreshing look at death in a way that wisely refuses any easy answers for its audience. As their layers are peeled back, both characters reveal themselves to be tortured souls. The character development and backstories of Teddy and Rose feel natural, with each new revelation building on the last. The plot can be uneven at times, as Teddy and Rose travel from place to place. Not every stop on their road trip delivers an emotional result, but the plot manages to compensate for this. Next Exit risks falling victim to the boredom that some road trip movies become, but never feels directionless despite its meandering pace.
The main reason for that is the dialogue, brought to life by two great performances. The script is both reserved yet crackling with sardonic wit beneath the surface. It is insightful about death when it wants to be, but denies the grandiosity the subject might warrant. The depressing subject matter never outgrows the quiet premise of the film, and the dialogue keeps Next Exit grounded in an enjoyably cynical tone that feels fun without becoming mean-spirited. The dialogue is elevated by Kohli and Parker: Kohli starts on the back foot, as the first few scenes portray him as any other snarky and annoying British guy who thinks he is smarter than you. The same can be said for Parker, initially portrayed as the introverted and equally snarky American who rolls her eyes at the bumbling British guy’s quips.
Teddy soon becomes a layered individual, but never too layered that he becomes unrelatable. Kohli plays the emotional scenes with a quiet regret that soon turns into a satisfying rage. He keeps his manner reserved, so when he does snap, it feels more impactful. Parker has perhaps a harder task and meets it with a similar depth. Rose slowly unfurls along the way whilst Teddy starts as the extrovert. Parker plays Rose with a hesitancy that matches the inner turmoil her character is facing. Both Kohli and Parker sit back, only letting their inner selves show when absolutely necessary. As Next Exit progresses, their chemistry forms an emotional bond that easily compels you to like them. When Next Exit occasionally fumbles in the pacing of the emotional moments, both performances keep the crescendos from spilling over into the melodramatic. The culmination of their road trip, and Rose’s encounter with death through the treatment, can at times feel too metaphorical in an otherwise grounded film.
Next Exit’s emotional moments do at times reach too far beyond its grasp. The emotional arcs of both of the characters remain nuanced, but Next Exit wants too often to wrap up these emotional moments and get back on the road when it would be better off allowing the characters to stop for a moment. The emotional scenes are treated with notable respect, but the deep trauma is also resolved all too easily, particularly for Teddy. Teddy’s issues with his father make for scenes that use the character dynamics well, but when they are over, it feels like they are over so that Rose can have her turn to face her demons. The emotional arcs would have been better if they had run throughout, as they feel slightly rushed at times. When Teddy and Rose argue about Teddy’s issues, the conflict seems to wrap up easier than it could.
This issue can be felt in the ending of Next Exit, as it leans into the overly cinematic when so far Next Exit had been treated as a realist comedy-drama. The climax feels a bit too showy and on the nose when the same restrained approach to the majority of Next Exit might have been more appropriate. This does not damage Next Exit’s ending too greatly; thankfully, the emotional core of Teddy and Rose’s relationship comfortably survives the slightly over-the-top ending, a testament to the heartfelt bond the two formed across a relatively brief runtime.
The Verdict
Despite its over-reliance on flashy directional tricks in its final moments, Next Exit is an emotionally rich directorial debut from Mali Elfman. Next Exit is a film that beams with light, even in its darker and more sullen moments. It is a deeply emotional film that meets the impossible question of suicide with refreshing poise. Next Exit is not flawless, but as Elfman affirms, neither is life, and you know what: that is all a part of the journey.
Next Exit is on digital platforms 20 February.
Words by James Evenden
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