Another Day to Live Through (2023) Review

Another Day to Live Through (2023) Review

Directed by Peter Simmons, in his feature debut, this British/Finnish thriller unveils a world of harrowingly exquisite visuals, shrouded in enigma. Satu (Lene Kqiku – CARCERA), a Finnish ex-pat seeking solace after a terrible loss, returns to her homeland and there, meets Lauri (Timo Torikka – THE WINTER WAR), a semi-retired, bitter military contractor.

But nothing is what it seems as Satu and Lauri find themselves ensnared within a labyrinth of disconcerting, violent and bewildering recurring scenarios, where roles and identities shift in an isolated cabin with no obvious escape. As time distorts, reality fractures and dangerous truths come to light, Satu must do all she can to break the cycle and escape the waking nightmare she is trapped in…

Appealing more to an art-house sensibility rather than to those with mainstream leanings ANOTHER DAY TO LIVE THROUGH is a quirky mindfuck of a movie. It’s essentially a two-hander wrapped up in a GROUNDHOG DAY scenario where both main characters – Satu and Lauri – live through the same day again and again confined mainly to a cabin.

It makes for hard viewing; the pacing is deliberately slow, and it proved difficult to engage with the characters and what unfolds before them onscreen. The acting is spot on but I found the pacing too laboured to draw me in and I was left feeling both unsatisfied and unmoved. That’s not to say that it’s a bad movie, it’s just not one that appeals to me. One for art-house horror enthusiasts only.

TRAILER

On UK digital 11 September 2023 from Reel 2 Reel Films