After fixating on a lifeless body at an open-casket funeral, Lianne’s world turns upside down as she grapples with the fragility and unpredictability of life. Convinced that certainty will rid her of her paralyzing fear, she sets out on a journey to figure out her after-life plans, inscribing it into her own version of a will. As her uncertainty surrounding death grows with every additional question, she begins to lose sight of her surroundings as well as push away her loved ones. Ultimately, it is the thought of losing someone she loves dearly that leads her to realize that the beauty of living lies in the relationships we form and our shared experiences.

Director’s Vision for ‘When I Die’

Growing up within an Asian family in Malaysia, death felt like a very taboo yet nonchalant topic. This film revolves around my personal experiences of coming to terms with human mortality and accepting the uncertainties that surround it. Similarly to Lianne, I set out to figure out my after-life plans only to realize that to understand death, I first had to be enamored with the beauty of life – making the most out of it with our loved ones. Thus, this story unfolds as a young adolescent’s first time truly grappling with the concept of death during their formative years.