The Discovery review

I have decided that if an original film is released on Netflix and I decide to watch it, I will review it here.

The Discovery is about the aftermath of a scientist proving the existence of an afterlife.

The film starts off with an interview with Robert Redford's scientist, Thomas, around 6 months after the discovery. The state of the world is set up, with the suicide rate having increased dramatically. The interview then ends in a shocking and abrupt way, and we pick up close to the two year anniversary, where over 4 million people have committed suicide in order to see this afterlife.

The film mainly follows Thomas' son Will (Jason Segel) as he returns to his father and brother, and starts a relationship with Isla (Rooney Mara). I have always liked Jason Segel in comedic roles but, along with The End of the Tour, he has proved he can make the transition to dramatic very well. Hopefully, like Steve Carrell and Jonah Hill recently, he will soon start getting recognised for these performances. He and Mara both have convincing chemistry with each other and bring depth to their characters and their relationship.

Since the discovery, Thomas has created what is essentially a cult, despite his denying of it. They are all living together believing in a single belief, wearing different ranking jumpsuits, and occasionally having sessions of public humiliation. It was set up as a sanctuary for those obsessed with the afterlife, but even if they are not able to kill themselves here, being in close proximity to the man who proved the afterlife is not helping heal them.

The film deals with the moral issues brought up by the existence of an afterlife. Nobody knows what it is, yet millions are curious enough that they will end their life to start again in this new place. Questions of ethical testing, free choice and whether this sort of thing should be shared are brought up and explored well. As the film goes on the mystery and curiosity continues to build up to a satisfyingly confusing, heartbreaking ending.

After I finished watching this I wanted something lighter to watch, as it was quite bleak and depressing. So I look down and in the comedies there was The One I Love. I saw it had Mark Duplass and, while the description didn't sound fun, it was listed under "comedies, romantic comedies", so I thought "why not?". I later realised it was written and directed by the same people as The Discovery, but it was too late for me to turn back as I had already finished it. I don't want to give anything away if you haven't seen it, but don't take the Netflix description as an accurate description of the film and don't look at the IMDB page. All I will say is that I was pleasantly surprised, but it was not the light entertainment I wanted. At this point it was too late to give up on Netflix's recommendations and put on a DVD, so I had quite a bleak, but excellent, night of movie watching.

In short: The Discovery is an effective look at how the world would have reacted to proving of an afterlife, and features an excellent Jason Segel.