Synopsis

Chance Encounter

“A Matter of Life and Death” tells the story of an English airman who falls in love with a woman while facing inevitable death. And how this affects his potential journey to “heaven.”

Peter Carter is part of a bomber crew returning to England after a bombing mission. The plane is too damaged to make it back to home base. The rest of the crew have either bailed out, or perished in the aircraft. Peter’s parachute is also torn and unusable. During the final minutes, he converses with a woman who is part of the American ground crew. In the absence of any hope, she comforts him in his supposedly final moments. During this conversation, they fall in love with each other. Eventually, Peter leaps out, without a parachute, to avoid burning up with the plane.

Change of Fate

The conversation between Peter and June, the American woman, over the radio changes the fate of the airman. Their emotional connection and subsequent love are what the story revolves around. Splashing in the sea, Peter miraculously survives and finds himself close to the airbase where June is stationed. They rekindle their romance as he starts the road to recovery.

Up in “heaven,” there’s chaos as Peter’s survival is a “mistake.” A “Conductor” is dispatched to bring Peter up.

Conductor 71 meets Peter, informing him his being alive is abnormal and he has to leave this existence for heaven. Peter argues his love for June overrides his death, and he deserves to stay on Earth with her.

Does Peter manage to stay with June? Or is he forced to relinquish this existence? The film tackles this question with intriguing finesse as we come to the surprising conclusion.