There is a big philosophical question: if you believe in an after life that is better, why wouldn’t you just kill yourself to get to it faster? It is the age-old question ever since people have been pondering since the concept of the afterlife became a thing. Typically, people reply that our survival instinct keeps us from crossing over but Netflix is releasing their answer with their new film, The Discovery.
The plot of the film begins sometime after a scientist discovers that the afterlife exists. People begin to kill themselves en masse to “get there” looking for a better world. However, the son of the scientist falls in love with a trouble young woman, for better or worse. The tone of the film makes this afterlife, or rather “new plane of existence,” seem ominous, though that could be because the world is so bleak.
The film has some big names, such as Robert Redford as Thomas Harbor, the scientist who makes the titular discovery, Jason Segel as his son Will, and Rooney Mara as Isla, the love interest. The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received solid scores. Charlie McDowell is perhaps best known for The One I Love, a trippy sci-fi thriller in which a couple goes to secluded estate and meets their dopplegangers. If that film is any indication of what we’ll see in The Discovery, it’s going to be surreal, and slightly uncomfortable journey.
The Discovery will debut on Netflix on March 31, 2017.
