A Slow-Burning Portrait of Precarity and Desire

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Fred Hechinger in Preparation for the Next Life (2025)

Sebiye Behtiyar

Fred Hechinger

Alicher Adill

Martyna Majok

Atticus Lish

A Uyghur woman, trained by her military father, migrates to NYC where she finds herself laboring in Chinatown&apos;s underground kitchens. She fatefully encounters a young American soldier who just returned from three tours in the Midd...

Bing Liu

Preparation for the Next Life

&quot;Preparation for the Next Life&quot; is a romantic drama about a Uyghur immigrant trying to survive in the impersonal vastness of New York and an American veteran marked by his military past that becomes an intimate portrait of two lives that find support in each other. The film explores immigration, relationships, labor conditions, mental health and the weight of memory with sensitivity, finding strength in the way their connection grows out of small encounters, shared workouts, empty bars and conversations that swing between vulnerability, frustration and anger.

This attention to the everyday gives the film a very patient, almost observational rhythm. For me, this was the main issue: the narrative spends long stretches reinforcing atmosphere and repeating routines, which does not always push the story forward and can feel a bit dispersive. Still, for those who appreciate more contemplative approaches, it may resonate more deeply.

When it circles back to the elements that truly define its world, such as precarity, the search for belonging and the effort to believe in a better life, it regains much of its emotional force. The performances by Sebieye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger, delivered with sincerity and vulnerability, bring us back when the rhythm falters.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjZhNDY2NDMtNTJkZi00NTIzLTgxMzMtYWM1NDRmMjM5OTZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQVRoaXJkUGFydHlJbmdlc3Rpb25Xb3JrZmxvdw@@._V1_.jpg

"Preparation for the Next Life" is a romantic drama about a Uyghur immigrant trying to survive in the impersonal vastness of New York and an American veteran marked by his military past that becomes an intimate portrait of two lives that find support in each other. The film explores immigration, relationships, labor conditions, mental health and the weight of memory with sensitivity, finding strength in the way their connection grows out of small encounters, shared workouts, empty bars and conversations that swing between vulnerability, frustration and anger.

This attention to the everyday gives the film a very patient, almost observational rhythm. For me, this was the main issue: the narrative spends long stretches reinforcing atmosphere and repeating routines, which does not always push the story forward and can feel a bit dispersive. Still, for those who appreciate more contemplative approaches, it may resonate more deeply.

When it circles back to the elements that truly define its world, such as precarity, the search for belonging and the effort to believe in a better life, it regains much of its emotional force. The performances by Sebieye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger, delivered with sincerity and vulnerability, bring us back when the rhythm falters.

A Uyghur woman, trained by her military father, migrates to NYC where she finds herself laboring in Chinatown's underground kitchens. She fatefully encounters a young American soldier who just returned from three tours in the Middle East.

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Preparation for the Next Life

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