Movie Review: What Death Leaves Behind

Let’s face it, death isn’t really a new subject in terms of stories, television, and filmmaking. In fact, it is becoming harder and harder to bring something new to the table when talking about death or the afterlife. However, What Death Leaves Behind, while not dealing with death as the main plot point, manages to find some new and interesting ideas in a world that lies somewhere between life and death.

We meet Jake Warren (Khalil McMillan) who is on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. With his marriage to Lisa (Shaira Barton) on the rocks and insurance running out, he finally gets a new kidney. However, after the transplant, Jakes begins to have recurring nightmares, and Jake believes he is experiencing the memories of the person from where he received the kidney from.

The search then begins to figure out what is happening and for the viewer, it’s quite the journey to watch unfold. Writer Chad Morton and director Scott A. Hamilton have weaved together an interesting tale of cellular memory phenomenon, a real term to describe the changes in a person’s personality undergoes after an organ transplant. This is not a scientifically proven phenomenon but it makes you think of all the possibilities if it were indeed true.

The first part of the film does jump around quite a bit and this non-linear type of storytelling takes a bit of getting used to. I watched this film via a screener so I was able to go back a couple of times to check out a part that didn’t make sense, a luxury someone in a theater wouldn’t have. However, when the film settles down and the real plot is revealed, a lot of the seemingly confusing parts began to make sense and it is a very intriguing story and mystery.

Director Scott A. Hamilton keeps the sometimes confusing story moving along, incorporating some interesting visuals while keeping the cast on point. Speaking of the cast, the do a great job in conveying to the audience the mystery, confusion, and numerous other emotions they are feeling, giving the story a more authentic feel. McMillian gives a great performance, showing a full range of emotions, and Barton as his wife does a great job in terms of playing off these emotions to the fullest.

The subplot involving the killer does add some interesting twists to the story, although it sometimes feels a bit tacked on and personally I would have preferred less of that and more of the intriguing character development that was a direct result of the transplant. In the end, though, the subplot didn’t hurt the film, just left me wanting more from other more developed parts.

What Death Leaves Behind is one of those movies that makes you think, makes your brain work to follow the story and the ideas that the writer is proposing along the way. While some people don’t like going to see a movie to think too much, I highly recommend they suspend that way of thinking and give the movie a chance. Great story, solid direction, and some great performances made What Death Leaves Behind a wonderful surprise and something worthy of more than one viewing.

Four stars out of five