Most People Die on Sundays (Los domingos mueren más personas) is a film written, directed by, and starring Iair Said. The “Irreverent Queer Argentine Dark Comedy About Death and Identity” (as described in the press announcement), has a U.S. theatrical release starting this month in at the Quad Cinema in New York City on May 2, followed by additional cities thereafter.
Described as a “dark comedy,” this film may not necessarily be interpreted as comedic by each viewer. I have seen some dark comedies where I can find something to be a bit humorous but not laughing out loud. In the case of this film, I don’t recall laughing. I think that is understandable because it is about death, dying, the expense of it all, insurance, aging parents and sometimes not sure where your life is headed, education, career, etc. It is a well written film as it shows us one family’s experience – first David’s uncle passed, while his father is in a coma, his mother is aging and lonely without her husband, facing having to live alone soon upon his pending demise. It may be a film that some viewers may want to have their “facial tissues” (AKA Kleenex) handy, especially when moments of grief surge at any given moment for some of us. We all don’t want to talk about death and dying, but it does help to do so ahead of time, as painful as it can be.
About: Loosely inspired by Said’s real-life experiences following the death of his own father, the film tells the story of David (played by the director), a young middle-class Jewish man—gay, overweight, and afraid of flying—who returns to Buenos Aires after the death of his uncle. After a year studying in Italy, David learns that his mother plans to disconnect his father’s respirator, as there is no hope of recovery from a years-long coma. Wielding pathos and humor in equal measure, Said begins with a powerful question: What is the price we—the ones who stay behind—have to pay when someone we love dies?
The film had its world premiere in the ACID program at the Cannes Film Festival and opens at Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles on May 9. Big World Pictures website shows “more dates to be announced soon” and may be a good source to visit for future theater dates.
The film also stars legendary Latin American stage and screen actor Rita Cortese (Wild Tales, Herencia), famed Argentine singer Juliana Gattas, and Pablo Larraín regular Antonia Zegers (The Club, The Punishment). Executive produced by Nicolás Avruj and Diego Lerman (Monos, The Substitute, The Man Who Loved UFOs).
Argentina/Italy/Spain, 2024, 75 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Source: A Big World Pictures Release
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