Movie Poster - A Second Life

A Second Life (Tribeca 2025) Film Review & Summary

A Second Life, through the gentle performances of Agathe Rousselle and Alex Lawther, may cause the type of tears that don’t come like a gut punch but from feeling allowed and safe to do so.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“A Second Life” Film Details

  • Released On: In Theaters
  • Public Release Date: June 6, 2025 (Get Tickets)
  • Director(s): Laurent Slama
  • Writer(s): Laurent Slama, Thomas Keumurian
  • Genre(s): Drama, Young Adult, Non-English (French) – With English Also Spoken
  • Rating: Not Rated

Summary

It’s the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and Elisabeth is struggling. Her job is unfulfilling, her personal life has slowly shifted from poetic and leaving her in a happy drunk state, to leaving her completely, achingly sober. This has allowed her to see humanity, especially as a concierge, often at its worst, most callous, and indifferent. It has left her a shell of who she once was, someone who survives more than thrives, and almost robotic in doing what she needs to do, while contemplating ending things.

That is until Elijah, an eccentric and curious young man, a client, interacts with Elisabeth in ways to engage her, get to know her, and open himself for her to get to know him as well.

Throughout A Second Life, you see how genuine connection is necessary for human life, and feeling safe to let go of the need to clutch so tightly onto life, you don’t realize you are actually choking yourself.

Cast and Characters

Elisabeth (Agathe Rousselle)

Elisabeth (Agathe Rousselle) – A Second Life
Elisabeth (Agathe Rousselle) in A Second Life
  • Character Summary: Having lived across Europe, in Senegal, and even in America, Elisabeth has had the opportunity to travel throughout her life. But, with wanting to settle in France, she finds herself struggling to find a job that not only utilizes her talents but is fulfilling, which is something she desperately needs, as life has become increasingly stagnant to the point of becoming depressing.

Elijah (Alex Lawther)

Elijah (Alex Lawther) and Elisabeth (Agathe Rousselle) – A Second Life
Elijah (Alex Lawther) and Elisabeth (Agathe Rousselle) in A Second Life
  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Eccentric, extroverted, and a hypnotist to athletes by trade, Elijah, with his bright pink hair, stands out in more ways than one. Yet, considering the black-and-white world Elisabeth lives in, everything about Elijah perhaps needed to be so bold for him to add color back into her life.

Why Is “A Second Life” Not Rated?

  • Dialog:
    • Cursing: Occasional
    • Suicide Mentions: Yes
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Drinking: Yes
    • Smoking: Yes

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

The Film’s Opening [85/100]

Elisabeth sets the tone early on that she is in mourning. She used to be drunk in love, drunk on sunrises, just someone who loved life, but then life decided to sober her up. It took things away from her and, in some ways, you can see she gave away pieces of herself until she was left in a state where, when the distractions were no longer enough, choosing life felt like deciding on a slow death. It’s all very poetic, in a slightly morose way, but I’d say it isn’t handled in such a way that feels dreary.

If anything, it feels honest without evoking a desire for sympathy. Elisabeth has lived, she has loved, but with hearing loss and an unfulfilling job, and reaching a certain age where the world is less beautiful or full of wonder, you see someone in need of a reminder, a jolt.

For it seems, as you see her contemplate a long-term solution to what she believes will be a worsening problem, she is a person in need. One who might be surrounded by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, thanks to the Olympics, but is so disconnected that actually pulling the figurative plug wouldn’t be that hard – just the last step from truly being disconnected from any semblance of life.

Elisabeth’s Reaction To Elijah [90/100]

For anyone who has ever had depression, suicide, or knows someone, or has watched someone go through it, there is usually someone who says, it’s not about wanting to choose death but needing a reason to choose life. Many people pursue this by trying to recapture certain feelings, but when you’ve got a lot going on, it can be challenging to be happy or see playfulness as anything but a distraction or burden being imposed. After all, you need to survive and don’t have the energy to put into the niceties someone is commanding of you, passively aggressive.

But that’s the thing about Elijah’s role in Elisabeth’s life. Him wanting to know about her, spend time with her, make her feel included, supported, seen, and someone who can rely on him and be relied on, it isn’t passive aggressive or commanding, it is a gentle ask. Now, is he annoyingly persistent? Yes. But any introvert can tell you that sometimes, the best friend they have, usually an extrovert, who is persistent in getting them out of their cave or shell, is their best friend for a reason.

I think back to one scene, where Elijah reveals he is a hypnotist for athletes, and Elisabeth sees herself above that, psychology, and sees herself as an impenetrable wall. Her willingness to let him try to hypnotize her, it working, and her falling asleep for an hour and a half? That was the clear sign she was willing, looking for a reason to live. She was open to feeling, connecting, and having faith that someone can and will do what they are saying, and aren’t just filling the air with what she may want or need to hear.

It was honestly a turning point, and what truly made their time together beautiful is that she was able to return the favor. This wasn’t a manic pixie type of situation with Elijah, and his pink hair, coming into Elisabeth’s life, taking the wheel and changing course. All the while, he is just smiling, skipping, and playful.

Elijah has his own issues and while she didn’t understand a situation which led her to see beyond the façade at first, she was one of the first to jump in, provide support, and even show she learned something from him regarding self-regulating, enhancing a connection with another person to make them feel less isolated in the moment, and these are the things which can make you teary eyed.

Genuinely, while a lot of films like this aim for the gut punch, the type of crying where you are inconsolable, with snot coming down your upper lip, A Second Life aims for the best way to get you emotional. It wants to slowly chip away at the wall between Elisabeth and Elijah being played by actors, and you seeing them as real people. It wants to brush away the dust which makes them foreign to you and not potential reflections of who you are, what you are going through or what you have processed.

Altogether, while lucky enough to get a screener for this, a part of me feels like, not for the sound, or the large screen, but not seeing this in a theater might have been a loss to not be full enveloped in what is going on and forced to deal with the emotions it was bringing up without the privilege to pause.

A Second Life Isn’t About Romance [87/100]

If I may add one more thing, I just want to say I was happy this didn’t lead to romance between Elisabeth and Elijah. Call it a spoiler if you must, but I think there needs to be more interactions between people that don’t end up being made into something sexual or romantic. Genuine connection we are so trained to think has to lead to something bigger but A Second Life seems to really want you to just enjoy the moment connecting, having fun, or even being vulnerable with another person.

Long-term planning can be the death of joy because all the little things are either ignored or not given their proper place. So to see nothing more than a friendship develop which may not last past Elijah’s time in Paris for the Olympics, there is a slight tinge of sadness that can be placed there, but not in lieu of how it reminds you that, if something like this, randomly, happened once, who is to say it can’t happen again?

Overall

Our Rating (87/100): Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended

A Second Life is a moving, introspective film that explores the weight of disconnection and the unexpected beauty of finding someone who sees you just as you are. Through Elisabeth’s quiet unraveling and Elijah’s persistent, yet gentle presence, the film captures the essence of what it means to need a reason to choose life. Rather than presenting a heavy-handed depiction of depression or a savior narrative, it offers a delicate balance of mutual healing, curiosity, and companionship.

However, what makes the film truly special, and one of our favorites so far from Tribeca 2025, is how it respects the integrity of its characters. It doesn’t push romance or idealism—it prioritizes presence, support, and the joy of genuine human connection. With nuanced performances and a heartfelt script, A Second Life doesn’t demand tears through tragedy; instead, it earns emotion by gently reminding you how vital it is to be seen, heard, and cared for. It’s not just a film—it’s a reminder that even fleeting moments of connection can echo far beyond their time.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.