Karen Gillan's directorial debut is actually not at all a bad start for an actress turned filmmaker, channeling the essence of Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting" & Phoebe Waller-Bridge's "Fleabag" to create a somewhat inconsistent movie (which sadly starts off rather weak, but ends surprisingly strongly) that's mature enough to admit how grief is far too long a process to chronicle in the space of a mere 90 minutes, & thus, rather than biting off more than it could ever hope to chew, ambitiously endeavouring to cram Liusaidh's entire development in the space of the short run-time, she's far more economical with her storytelling & mindfully opts to shift focus to the road of acceptance, acknowledging by the denouement that the party which this leads in to (by the closing credits) is poetically just the beginning of a much longer emotional journey that the protagonist will have to go on (hence the title) in order to heal & thus, we won't be able to witness her full recovery - simply the opening chapter.
Therefore, things deliberately aren't resolved satisfyingly & a sense of closure isn't fully provided, authentically reflecting how reality often deprives us of the resolution we feel we deserve, yet it succeeds in capturing the rawness of loss in the wake of someone's unexpected & traumatic departure (the anger, indignation, self-hatred, perceived responsibility, unhealthy coping mechanisms & flawed nature of humanity - to rage against the dying of the light) & explores how the living may personally reconcile with death (in their own individualistic way, taking as long as they need) so those whom are left behind can find their own peace, eventually.
Yes, the execution is perhaps messy, there are a few lines of dialogue which may be seen to suggest something (offensively) unintentional but I'd argue that's a conscious creative decision (understandably made), since the feature aims to mirror the imperfections of the people it's seeking to depict & again, considering not everything shown is truly processed by the final scene, it's obviously reaffirming the thematic point of the narrative; more time is required for her to ironically get herself back on track after derailing, after the event she's witnessed.
Therefore, things deliberately aren't resolved satisfyingly & a sense of closure isn't fully provided, authentically reflecting how reality often deprives us of the resolution we feel we deserve, yet it succeeds in capturing the rawness of loss in the wake of someone's unexpected & traumatic departure (the anger, indignation, self-hatred, perceived responsibility, unhealthy coping mechanisms & flawed nature of humanity - to rage against the dying of the light) & explores how the living may personally reconcile with death (in their own individualistic way, taking as long as they need) so those whom are left behind can find their own peace, eventually.
Yes, the execution is perhaps messy, there are a few lines of dialogue which may be seen to suggest something (offensively) unintentional but I'd argue that's a conscious creative decision (understandably made), since the feature aims to mirror the imperfections of the people it's seeking to depict & again, considering not everything shown is truly processed by the final scene, it's obviously reaffirming the thematic point of the narrative; more time is required for her to ironically get herself back on track after derailing, after the event she's witnessed.