Lucy and Gina are two very good friends that are attending are at the funeral of Sarah, their close friend and Gina’s cousin. Sarah’s recent death has shaken both women, especially since the police report listed her cause of death as “suicide” due to apparent intentional inhalation of gas. In the midst of pondering the loss of their friend as they drive home that night, Gina and Lucy nearly run over a lone young woman in a white dress standing in the middle of the road. When she asks for a ride, Gina says yes, despite Lucy’s strong opposition.
As they drive, the girl begins to ask questions that eventually bring up the funeral and Sarah’s death. Soon after it becomes apparent that the mysterious passenger knows something about what’s going on, the car breaks down on the side of the road, leaving them stranded in a remote, unfamiliar place. As Gina and Lucy try to figure out what to do, the girl points out a small house just off the road and suggests they stop there for help. As it turns out, that is the same house that Sarah died in, and it is there that the stranger reveals what truly happened to their friend and –more importantly—what will happen as a result of it.
Content
WARNING! SPOILER INFORMATION FOLLOWS!
Before you ask… yes, the mysterious hitchhiker is Sarah herself. And yes, she has come back from the Great Beyond to reveal that Lucy killed her for her boyfriend, with whom she was having an affair. And yes, Sarah has brought Lucy to the scene of the crime for vengeance. And while it is a painfully predictable storyline that has been visited countless times in both television and cinema, the one creative twist to the story is that, rather than extracting vengeance herself, Sarah leaves it up to Gina to decide whether to save Lucy or let her die. It’s an interesting quandary, especially since Gina has to choose between honoring her murdered cousin and letting her one remaining best friend die.
There were, however, two big issues with story that didn’t make sense. The first is the fact that no one recognizes the hitchhiker as Sarah until she pulls her hair back from her face! This makes no sense at all, especially since her body wasn’t disfigured and her friends had just been talking about how much they miss her. It would seem that either Lucy and Gina have already forgotten what their best friend looked like, or brushing your hair over your face disguises you better than Clark Kent’s glasses! A simple explanation could be worked into the dialogue between Sarah and Lucy to help eliminate any confusion for the audience:
Lucy: “Why didn’t I recognize you when we picked you up?”
Sarah: “I can choose to reveal or hide myself to whomever I wish… it’s one of
the benefits of being dead.”
The second issue is that Gina and Lucy are the only ones at Sarah’s funeral. While not implausible, it is very difficult to believe that such an attractive young woman has no other friends, family, coworkers, fellow parishioners, etc. Having a few more people at the grave would’ve helped, because it generates more sympathy for Sarah (as we see that so many people cared about her) and lends more credence to Gina’s decision. But more importantly, there is one key person missing at the funeral: Mark, Sarah’s boyfriend and Lucy’s lover. It’s impossible to believe that he wouldn’t be at the funeral, if only for appearance’s sake for Gina. His character doesn’t have to have any lines, but his presence is important, especially because it’s his relationship with Lucy that motivates her to murder Sarah. (And besides, it’d be a nice foreshadowing!)
