FANTASIA 2025: ‘Death Does Not Exist’ Embraces The Existential

Death Does Not Exist (La Mort N’existe Pas) operates in the realm of the existential, where an internal debate as old as time is given new life. Set against a backdrop of gorgeously drawn animation, writer/director Félix Dufour-Laperrière sets a highly ambitious bar, where metaphors blur and congeal into something raw and visceral. While the philosophical wears thin, the inevitable is brought into full focus. All things end. It is the journey that determines what end we may reach in this dog-eat-dog world.

The film focuses on Hélène, a member of an activist group about to take the plunge and do something huge. As they hype each other up, Hélène seems assertive at first, but microexpressions belie her hesitance. Her friend, Manon, picks up on this, questioning whether or not she will be able to commit herself to what they’re about to do. Hélène swears that she’s okay and that she’s fine going ahead, but when the moment arises, she turns tail and flees. 

It is a reasonable reaction when confronted with violent consequences, yet doubt and guilt plague her as she makes her way through the forest. The goal was to make their wealthy targets pay for monopolizing resources, polluting the town, and more, but everything quickly fell apart. Hélène is forced to confront her ever-complicating thoughts and feelings to reconcile with what she has done. This reconciliation impacts what she does next in Death Does Not Exist.

A violent excursion triggers the start of a philosophical journey in Death Does Not Exist.

Dufour-Laperrière luxuriates in symbolism and metaphors onscreen in Death Does Not Exist, utilizing Hélène’s internal conflict to explore various subjects. In the realm of activism, especially nowadays, the conversation around destructive acts is a familiar one. Centering the story on a group of activists, with Hélène as the most reluctant, allows for a debate to unfold between Hélène and varying figures: Manon, her lover, Marc, and even a version of her younger self.

These three, in particular, highlight different aspects of Hélène’s internal voice, with Manon being the more bloodthirsty, Marc representing something more calm and arguably submissive, and her younger self representing innocence. In the twists and turns of their conversations with Hélène, one thing becomes clear. There are no easy answers to be gained from Death Does Not Exist, but perhaps it will give viewers room to reflect and think, even if just for a little while. 

However, in embracing the philosophical and utilizing the hand-drawn 2D animation style, there are times when it is difficult to follow the story. As Hélène’s consciousness evolves and devolves, as symbols arise, collapse, and contort around her, Death Does Not Exist risks losing itself entirely, and, at times, it does. As mentioned in the film, every action has a consequence, and by leaning so heavily into the philosophical and abstract aspects in both discussion and art, in these moments, it becomes untethered. 

Within the debate, one thing is for certain. Death comes for us all, regardless of what choices we make.

Even when the film gets carried away with its more abstract, cerebral elements, at its heart is what Hélène wants. This is as much her journey as it is ours, as an activist, as a person, as a living, breathing thing. What emerges is the fight for life and what it means to live. It is making mistakes. It is pursuing our wants and desires, embracing fear, and everything in between. Living can be ugly, but it can also be beautiful. That is what Death Does Not Exist embodies. 

Death Does Not Exist is more than its exquisite animation. It is a philosophical journey about right and wrong, actions and their consequences, defiance versus submission. Some viewers may be left wanting due to its lack of straightforward storytelling, particularly when it veers too far off course at times. Still, the film is a hearty meal, leaving plenty to mull over and digest after the credits roll. 

Death Does Not Exist played as part of the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival.