‘Next Life’ Review: Emilia Clarke Lives Alternate Life-Changing Choices In Drake Doremus’ Rich And Jazzy Rom-Dram – Tribeca Festival
Like it did for many people, the pandemic changed things for writer/director Drake Doremus, whose last film, 2019’s Endings, Beginnings, now seems like a prophetic title for the filmmaker, a true rom…
Like it did for many people, the pandemic changed things for writer/director Drake Doremus, whose last film, 2019’s Endings, Beginnings, now seems lik
Read Full Story at Deadline Hollywood →Why This Matters
The pandemic’s lingering influence on art has rarely been so elegantly distilled as in Drake Doremus’ *Next Life*, where temporal disruption becomes a metaphor for modern romance’s fragility. Clarke’s performance transcends mere role-playing, interrogating the illusion of control in life’s pivotal moments—a theme that resonates in an era where existential choices feel increasingly digitized and reversible.
Background Context
Doremus’ filmography has long fixated on fractured relationships and nonlinear storytelling, but the pandemic’s forced introspection appears to have sharpened his focus on fate’s illusory nature. Clarke’s post-*Game of Thrones* career pivot toward projects dissecting female agency—from *Last Christmas* to *Solo: A Star Wars Story*—signals a broader industry hunger for narratives where women confront, rather than endure, life’s pivotal junctures.
What Happens Next
If *Next Life* finds an audience beyond festival circuits, it could redefine mid-budget rom-dram formulas by prioritizing tonal richness over formulaic emotional beats. Doremus’ signature improvisational style may face scrutiny from mainstream critics, but Clarke’s star power could bridge the divide between arthouse ambitions and mass appeal. Watch for whether streaming platforms, now dominant in mid-tier romances, embrace or resist its unapologetic jazz-infused melancholy.
Bigger Picture
The film arrives amid a surge in pandemic-era storytelling that grapples with alternate realities—not just as sci-fi conceits, but as psychological coping mechanisms. Its jazzy, fragmented aesthetic also reflects a cultural moment where Gen Z audiences crave authenticity over polish, even (or especially) in love stories. Doremus’ work may soon be seen as a bridge between 2010s indie emotionalism and the more unfiltered, digitally native narratives of the 2020s.
