“Do You Want to Die In Indio?” is a 2023 drama TV movie directed by A.J. Benza, famous for death, destiny, and redemption. The picture reveals the traumatic experience of David, who is deeply distressed and seeks emotional stability through relocation. He moves to a remote hurt town in California’s desert and attempts to distance himself from the struggles of his previous life, but ends up having to contend with self-acceptance and the bitter realities of his past.
The suggestions drew brows to the working title, Indio is a harsh and desolate place which has characteristics that David is both at once drawn to as if it were a geographical metaphor for being at the crossroads of life and death. The movie is one of self-exploration, locating one’s inner struggles, searching through the darkness for a glimmer of hope and a chance of being redeemed.
The pace of the movie is meditative, the characterization is deeply personal, and the writing is sharp ear. It’s more like a psychological odyssey the explores how hopeless and yet how much hope lies in the most hopeless of places.
Do You Want to Die in Indio? is such a thoughtful film that has plenty to say and it certainly rewards the viewer who cares to listen because it doesn’t end with the end of the movie. The end credits are simply the beginning.