What If the Afterlife Had a Subscription Plan? The Darkly Funny Sci-Fi Short LIGHT HEARTED Explores Love, Loss, and Digital Resurrection

What if bringing someone back from the dead was less miracle and more customer service nightmare? That’s the twistedly funny idea at the center of Light Hearted, a sci-fi short film that blends grief, technology, and awkward marital bickering into something unexpectedly moving.

In the film, Joy is a widow who’s still trying to adjust to life without her husband, Clive. Her routine is calm, maybe a little hollow. Then a delivery arrives that flips everything upside down. It’s Clive. Sort of.

He’s glitchy, he’s irritable, and he definitely isn’t back for a heartfelt reunion.

Instead of sweeping declarations of eternal love, Clive returns with complaints. He’s annoyed about the song Joy picked for his funeral. He’s mad about a stolen pressure washer. And most of all, he’s irritated that she resurrected him for something wildly unromantic… a forgotten bank password.

That’s the hook of Light Hearted, and it’s a good one.

The description sets the tone: “Joy, a widow still grappling with her husband's death, receives an unexpected and peculiar delivery that disrupts her quiet routine. As she comes to terms with the strange presence in her life, the past and present collide, leading to moments of both humor and heartbreak.

“The film offers a touching and quirky exploration of grief, memory, and the complexities of moving on, all with a dose of unexpected warmth. Light Hearted is a poignant, darkly comedic reflection on love, loss, and what it means to let go.”

That collision between absurd sci-fi and painfully real emotion is what makes the short work. Yes, there’s a ridiculous high-concept idea at play. Yes, there’s petty squabbling from beyond the grave. But under the comedy is something raw. Grief doesn’t disappear just because technology finds a workaround. If anything, it complicates it.

The film was written and directed by Sye Allen, who uses the concept to poke at our current obsession with AI and instant solutions.

Allen explains: “AI keeps promising a democratised, sustainable creative future, cough cough… but the quickest solution isn’t always the healthiest. "Light Hearted" is my gentle reminder that meaning often lives in the struggle; the mess, the mistakes, the very human work of figuring it out the hard way.”

That idea runs straight through the story. In a world where even the afterlife might come with features and fine print, Light Hearted asks a sharp question. If we could shortcut grief, should we?

The short balances its darker edges with humor. It’s a little morbid, a little absurd, and surprisingly tender. Beneath the glitches and sarcastic back-and-forth is a story about unfinished conversations and the difficult process of letting go. No premium upgrade required.

If you’re into sci-fi short films that mix dark comedy with heartfelt storytelling, Light Hearted is absolutely worth your time.