Ms. White Light stars Roberta Colindrez as an odd woman who helps people let go of fear and accept their coming death. She’s great at this, but a failure at everything else in life. She has to carry crib notes about what to say to the families after the person passes. It’s on Prime Video, YouTube, and possibly other places.
Ms. White Light is as unique an indie film as you’ll find anywhere. It’s quirky and darkly funny. Roberta Colindrez is perfect at the socially inept Lex. Her wild hair, her habit of wearing her father’s suits, and her sarcastic tone with everyone except the dying is defining. Every time I’ve seen Roberta Colindrez in anything I found her magnetic and mesmerizing. This film is no different.
Lex’s dad (John Ortiz) is her only friend. They share a messy office backed by a large photo of someone going into the light. They offer services to the dying and have few clients.
Two clients are important in the film. The first is Nora (Carson Meyer) who Lex helps toward death. Nora doesn’t die when she should. Later Nora shows up at Lex’s office and cleans up the place and takes on the job as assistant. She says it’s her duty as a samurai to repay Lex for her services.
Judith Light plays Val, a dying woman who touches Lex. Lex opens up to her with a personal story that is very revealing. Judith Light is brilliant, even bedridden with a cannula in her nose. She’s prickly and vivid and wise. Also helping with Val is Spencer (Zachary Spicer). He’s mostly a charlatan in it for the money.
Spencer manages to touch something in Lex, too. Before long they are working together to help the dying even though what she does is real and he’s a fake.
The experiences Lex has in the film change her for the better, but the final scene still leaves plenty of questions about whether she will ever be able to develop normal empathy with anyone who isn’t dying.
If you’re a fan of unusual and quirky films, take a look at this one. If you watch it, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.