You Probably Missed 'Ghosts' Rose McIver’s Best Movie, This Chillingly Hilarious, 2022 Sci-Fi Dark Comedy on Hulu

Ghosts and the mystery of the afterlife have always been on the minds of humans, being key aspects of stories going back to ancient mythology. But what if it was proven that ghosts exist, and not in the sense of a God-given afterlife, but merely a next step of evolution? This is the premise of the film Next Exit, and it follows strangers Teddy (Rahul Kohli) and Rose (Katie Parker) as they are forced into a road trip together out of convenience, with neither able to fully rent a car without Teddy's credit card and Rose's valid license. The polar opposite pair drive across the U.S. towards an experiment, headed by Karen Gillan's Dr. Stevenson, that will involve them willingly dying so that their non-corporeal forms can move into the next stage of life, being a ghost, where both believe they will be able to finally be free from their problems. A resonant sense of tragic freedom runs throughout Next Exit, as we learn more and more about these two people who could only share their true feelings under the belief that they are nearing death, providing a fascinating commentary on what truly makes a life valuable.

Teddy and Rose’s Journey Is as Funny as it Is Heartbreaking

Almost like a mixture between Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Next Exit strikes this perfect balance between heartbreaking scenes that reveal Teddy and Rose’s darkest secrets that fuel their desire for death, as well as truly hilarious moments of the two bonding in spite of the grim context. A perfect example of this is when Rose exits a diner with silly glasses and gives a pair to Teddy; this comes only a couple of scenes after Teddy breaks down crying to Rose about his father. They come a long way from the nihilistic Rose and loudmouth Teddy we first meet, and it feels like their transformation is tied to this shared, almost Schrödinger's cat-like state of uncertainty. They aren't dead yet, but their journey towards it makes it feel like they're not really connected to the living world either.

Rose McIver Arguably Gives Us the Best Scene of 'Next Exit'

No stranger to a project dealing with the afterlife, Ghosts’ Rose McIver appears as Rose’s sister, Heather, in what is arguably the best scene of the movie. This scene of Rose unable to tell her sister her true destination and instead conjuring a lie that is really Rose’s idea of the perfect life is made all the more tragic by McIver’s wonderful performance, as she only wants happiness for her sister, yet she cannot keep living her life worrying when Rose’s self-described “self-destruct button” will go off. Like most of the film, as director Mali Elfman told Collider, it is the brutal honesty that we normally cannot bear to hear that feels like someone has ripped a plaster off. We know it's the right thing to do, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less.

'Next Exit' Brilliantly Explores What Makes Life Valuable

What makes your life have meaning? Is it the loved ones around you, or the idea that this is your one and only life? Next Exit uses this exact question to give us a fascinating look into suicide and the afterlife, allowing for characters to examine themselves as there is finally an answer to the mystery, taking the pressure off of the decision whether to stay alive or not. It is a truly strange exploration of how human beings approach death and the value of life. No spoilers here, but the way this film answers that question is what makes Next Exit such a well executed exploration of these themes.

Overall, Next Exit is a film you simply must watch as soon as possible. With great acting, characterization, and fascinating themes, it's a film that grips you from the very first moment and doesn't let go until the last. We may not know the answers to the great mystery of death in our own reality, but perhaps Next Exit can help to answer specific questions revolving why life is valuable, and how powerful empathy can be.

Next Exit is currently available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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