A death in the family is a somber affair. Relatives rally around the deceased, often saying prayers, lighting candles, and wearing black in mourning. In film, in television, we see what happens days and weeks after someone dies. We see the preparations, we see the funeral, and we always see the post-funeral reception, or party in rare cases.
Elizabeth Rose’s short film, The Law of Averages, flips that norm on its head. Giving us a glimpse into the immediate moments before and after the matriarch of the family’s passing.
Rose, a Columbia film student during the making of the film, breathes life into the process of death, focusing on the daughter and granddaughter of the freshly deceased. She gives us a reason to laugh in the first two minutes of the film. We don’t see the tender goodbyes or the too-tight hugs, only the reactions of an angry woman who knew “she died right as [she] left the room. She didn’t want [her] to be there.”
I found myself smiling more than welling up during this glimpse into a death in Quebec. The backdrop was gorgeous and the snow gave us a reason to stay inside this somewhat dreadful house, nestled into the woods and perched upon a hill. The performances excel in the comedic efforts of the script, and do just enough during the tough times to feel believable.
Rose has crafted a gentle piece of art, one that hovers around the fringes of our experiences. When the bad comes swiftly in the night, or in this case in the day, the darkness doesn’t always shroud us. We don’t always react with an ocean of tears or a shudder attack that a gust of wind would approve of. We try to process what just happened, and if we allow it, we let ourselves laugh.
Though the father and brother add, only slightly, to the family dynamics, this film rests its lens on the relationship between mother and daughter. It’s fraught. It’s fulfilling. It’s far from static. One woman has just become the matriarch of the family, one has been placed in a situation that might be newer than she’d have liked, and both have lost someone they loved.
It’s a Vimeo Critics pick for a reason. It’s a student film that encompasses emotions deeper than young people, including myself, can access with ease.
Is there humor in death? The Law of Averages just might say yes.
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