Summary
Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back is a pitch-black comedy that gets laughs through reality and a sensitive suicide discussion.
Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back is the directorial debut of Tom Edmunds and stars Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) and Freya Mavor (Sunshine on Leith). This is a dark comedy about a young man that hires an aging assassin to kill him after he has failed to commit suicide himself.
Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back‘s story follows William (Barnard), a young writer who is suffering from crippling depression that has to lead to him attempt suicide unsuccessfully multiple times. After his latest failure, he turns to an aging assassin, Leslie (Wilkinson), who offers to kill him within a week or he will refund him; only life takes an unusual twist for William as he gets stuck with second thoughts about the decision.
Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back features a performance from Aneurin Barnard that is wonderful to watch; he must make his character feel like he is completely down on his life, an average person who is never meant to stand out from the crowd. Tom Wilkinson is a delight to watch as the assassin; you can understand his character’s desperation to succeed and remain in his field while bringing a human side to his problems in the world. Freya Mavor is great to watch here too, bringing the positive side to the film’s characters. Christopher Eccleston might only have a smaller role in the film, but he delivers in every scene he is in.
Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back is a dark comedy that is dealing with a subject matter which needs to be discussed, but handled in the correct manner. The discussion we see in the film follows a young man that simply hasn’t found his place in the world, feels the loneliness of his existence, and thinks the world would be better without him, rather than not wanting to be a part of it anymore. The film does have a couple of references that do make light of feeling suicidal, which could upset people, though it seems to be telling of how somebody in that mindset might laugh certain situations off. With the serious side of the story being discussed, we do see how life can take an unexpected turn when you least expect it, and it paints the idea that you will need to hold on through anything life tries to throw at you.
Overall Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back is a dark comedy that tackles a sensitive subject with ease, investing us in relatable characters dealing with their own everyday problems, with an important message about continuing to believe in your own life.
