Can I Get a Witness? Ann Marie Fleming’s Whimsical Vision of a Future.

By fortunate coincidence, living near London, I was able to attend the UK premiere of Ann Marie Fleming’s latest film, Can I Get a Witness? plus a Q&A with Fleming herself. 

It is set in an optimistically peaceful “post-apocalyptic” future where the human race has switched off all modern technology in hopes of tackling the climate crisis—an idea that doesn’t seem too awful, actually… But the catch is that to stop overpopulation, everybody must die when they reach 50 years old, and their final moments are captured by teenage artists tasked with immortalising them on paper.

Fresh off her flight from Vancouver, writer/director Ann Marie Fleming introduces the film as a “thought experiment”, and we’re told to sit and enjoy the experience with open minds. I lean back, sip my cider (it was a fancy cinema), and get ready for the show.

It kicks off with archival footage of raging forest fires as The Ink Spots I Don’t Want To Set the World On Fire ironically plays in the background - a song which I’ve come to associate with post-apocalyptic media already (thanks, Fallout).

We then cut to an idyllic little cottage where we meet our lead, Kiah (Keira Jang), who’s getting ready for her first day as a deathbed illustrator.

In what feels very much like a “first day of school” scene, Kiah’s mother, Ellie (Sandra Oh), tries to help her get ready by brushing her hair and generally fussing around her. You’d almost be forgiven for thinking this was a standard high school indie film if it weren’t for the government-sanctioned death.

We also meet Kiah’s new colleague, Daniel (Joel Oulette), who’s come to collect her for the first day on the job; Ellie feeds him homemade strawberry pie, and it’s all very cute. They’re already running late, so Kiah shoves her sketchbook in her bag and the two of them cycle off into the British Columbia countryside. 

The bulk of the film follows Kiah and Daniel as they go from one “End of Life ceremony” to the next.

Whilst Daniel facilitates the ceremony and chats to the middle-aged soon-to-be-departed, Kiah captures their likeness, and when the deed is done (usually with a small wooden box containing poisonous gas), Daniel then digs the graves and they’re on to the next one.

Strangely, all the people they meet (save one interesting character) seem almost happy with this early check-out - a testament to these future people’s selfless commitment to the greater good of humanity, a theme heavy throughout the film.

These morbidly serene death scenes are interspersed with some gorgeous moments of Ellie back at home, working on her garden, and seemingly preparing for something. Sandra Oh is captivating as always, and one of my favourite parts of the whole film is about a 30-second shot of Ellie standing in the garden listening to the wind in the trees and taking it all in.

Maybe I’m easily pleased, but that scene really got to me.

Inevitably, there's a cute coming-of-age romance between Kiah and Daniel as they try to navigate the strange world in which they’re living. As is tradition, it begins with them sniping at each other, but they quickly bond over the numerous deaths they have to witness -not your traditional love story, really, but sweet nonetheless.

The mother-daughter relationship between Kiah and Ellie is a beautiful one as well, with some very believable moments between the two.

Ellie, having experienced our world before the breakdown of everything, tries her best to explain to her daughter why things are the way they are.

An interesting stylistic element of the film was the addition of mixed media animation, with Fleming herself having a background in animation; she uses the works of illustrator Prashant Miranda to bring Kiah’s sketches to life - a choice which gives the whole film a whimsical and fairytale-like feeling.

As Fleming put it in the Q&A afterwards, “the drawings are to remind you this is a fable, a magical world”.

I must admit there are a couple of hefty plot holes and a few things you could be pedantic about and question for the sake of realism, but for me, that doesn’t really matter. For me, this is a beautifully gentle film that explores some pretty big themes and raises a few moral questions without being too explicit about it - all whilst being exquisitely shot and quite charming.

I won’t ruin the ending in case you want to see it, but I’d thoroughly recommend giving the film a chance.

Can I Get a Witness? is out now in the UK.