Out for Delivery (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

Burdened with the news of a terminal illness, Joanna (Deanna Rooney) decides to take an assisted suicide pill. When things don’t go exactly as planned, Joanna must face the reality that the control she believed to have over her own existence is slipping away. Out for Delivery is a dark, honest comedy that explores themes of grief and the unavoidable reality that is death. 

Out for Delivery is fifteen minutes of dark, honest conversation, begging viewers to look beyond the surface of the film–at the depth that exists within each character and their individual (and collective) journey. What do we do when we know that time is running out? I’d like to think I would go honorably–willing and able to fight, but unwilling to crumble under the pressure of knowing what comes next. Joanna hopes for the same experience. She hopes to be able to take control of the situation and pass on her own terms. 

Once she meets Mark (Martin Starr), however, her persona changes ever so slightly–bringing out a side of her that’s far more vulnerable than what viewers saw at the start. The constant failures to take control of a horrific situation seems to remind her of the hard times of her life, forcing her to converse with the stranger tasked with picking up her dead body. The deeply emotional, yet brilliantly funny conversation that ensues at this point in Out for Delivery is beautiful–touching on very real issues, but approaching them in a way that makes them accessible and interesting. 

Beyond the narrative, Out for Delivery is steeped in technical prowess, often placing Joanna front and center using a series of close-up shots. Those shots help to develop both intensity and comedy that transcend the entirety of the film. Rooney is such a powerful actor, yet she uses subtlety to develop comedy, allowing those aforementioned close-up shots to focus on her face, seeing a series of microexpressions drive the comedy and reel viewers in even closer. 

Writer-Director Chelsea Christer uses proximity to drive her film forward. Again, she uses a series of close-up shots to bring the film’s protagonist to life, but she often uses tight spaces to comment on the confinement we face in our daily lives. Out for Delivery, as funny as it manages to be in the face of tragedy, is a poignant commentary on much larger societal issues. Using tight shots and spaces, like the cab of a delivery truck, throughout the course of the film, Christer and her team capture the true essence of the message they are trying to convey (though, I’ll leave exactly what that message is up to you to discover). Out for Delivery is intimate in an often [intentionally] awkward way, bridging any potential gap between film and viewers–and capturing something honest in the process. 

Out for Delivery is one of many films that looks to blend comedy and drama to create something unique, accessible, and somewhat aggressive. It’s successful in its venture as a result of Rooney being its face–but even more so, as a result of the technical decisions that this team makes throughout. 

Written & Directed by Chelsea Christer. 

Starring Deanna Rooney, Martin Starr, etc. 

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING