The Pallbearer (1996)

"The Pallbearer" follows Tom Thompson, a struggling architect whose life is thrown into disarray when a mysterious woman named Ruth Abernathy informs him that his best friend, Bill, has died by suicide. The catch? Tom has never met this supposed best friend, and his friends are equally baffled. Despite his skepticism, Tom agrees to deliver the eulogy, a decision that catapults him into a bizarre entanglement with Ruth, revealed to be Bill's overly libidinous mother, and Julie DeMarco, the object of Tom's long-held teenage affections whom he hasn't seen in years. This darkly comedic premise sets the stage for a series of increasingly awkward and revealing encounters as Tom attempts to navigate a funeral for a stranger that's becoming anything but. While "The Pallbearer" predates Matt Reeves' acclaimed work on films like "The Batman" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," it's a fascinating early showcase of his emerging directorial voice. The film exhibits a characteristic Reeves blend of off-kilter humor, melancholic undertones, and a keen eye for character development, even within its surreal premise. The exploration of identity, societal expectations, and the lingering impact of past relationships, all filtered through a darkly comedic lens, foreshadows the thematic depth Reeves would later bring to his more mature projects. It demonstrates an early comfort with navigating uncomfortable truths and finding the human element in unconventional narratives, making it a noteworthy, albeit different, addition to the spectrum of his directorial output.