Mali Elfman’s Next Exit is a darkish comedy that’s deeply involved with investigating life, dying, and the veil in between—all issues io9 mentioned, together with the chances of ghosts, in a video interview with the writer-director.

Ultimately, Elfman says that she needed to ensure that this movie was humorous as a result of speaking about dying is difficult. It’s one of the vital absurd issues to be part of, whether or not as a mourner or a witness. Humor, love, comedy, all of it’s a part of the ways in which folks address the inevitability of every thing ending.

This movie can also be about making the choice to finish your life, which is clearly an extremely fraught topic. Next Exit is, basically, what occurs if you find yourself allowed to medically cross on with out judgment or disgrace. What could possibly be an extremely triggering and hard-to-watch movie turns into a nuanced exploration of vulnerability and acceptance. In an earlier interview with io9, Katie Parker, who performs Rose, thinks that being susceptible is finally what permits her character to alter.

“I think sometimes we can be in a narcissistic place in our pain that we think our pain is the worst pain ever and no one’s going to understand how that feels,” Parker defined. “And when someone holds space for that, it it kind of dissolves… Teddy and Rose do a lot of healing together on their journey where they are able to be unabashedly who they are, scream at each other, cry, laugh.”

Rahul Kohli, who performs Teddy, stated that the massive battle of his character is that he’s too afraid to be sincere, and makes use of humor to deflect from the true damage he’s experiencing. He’s extra afraid of dwelling, Kohli advised io9. “You believe Rose [wants to die], but with Teddy, it doesn’t really feel like he’s made this decision, that this is something he wants. It’s not fully thought-out. For Teddy, it’s more about the fear of not living right.”

Elfman stated that on the finish of the day, this can be a movie about characters who “are human beings who are unable to deal with themselves. And that gets in the way of them being able to live their actual lives. That’s what creates ghosts, is the idea that these people are haunted by something that they can’t let go of.”

The characters have been at all times the main target for Elfman, relatively than the latent supernatural premise. The movie is about “how we deal with other human beings in this world,” Elfman stated. “It’s humanity and the people that exist that I’m interested in writing about.”

Next Exit is in theaters and on demand now.

Want extra io9 information? Check out when to count on the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and every thing it’s worthwhile to find out about James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.