Even despite the resounding success of films such as The Babadook And Relicand not to mention the global influence of the Philippou brothers with Talk to me And Bring her backAustralia still somehow seems like a mystery in the world of horror. There must be something in the water below that allows Australians to not just create visceral films that unsettle the mind, but to layer horror and tension on top of poignant ideas and talking points.
Previously, Zach Hilditch stunned the audience with These last hours and Netflix's adaptation of the Stephen King novella. 1922. With my latest film We bury the deadHilditch takes on the zombie subgenre, changing the perspective in some ways.
Daisy Ridley stars in the film as Ava, a young woman on board a plane bound for Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. News feeds and PA announcements fill in the details: a military experiment off the coast of an island nation has gone horribly wrong, resulting in mass deaths, but depending on the good or bad news, some victims are coming back “online.”
Ava joins a body recovery squad where she finds the dead and drags them along the roadside for collection, all in the hope of finding her husband Mitch (Matt Whelan), who just so happens to be in Hobart on a job at the time of the tragedy. Paired with Clay (Brenton Thwaites), the quintessential Aussie surfer archetype, they venture off the grid in search of Mitch and in the process discover the extent of the accident's aftermath.
WITH We bury the deadRidley continues to make bold and interesting choices in her posts.Star wars career, and fortunately, Ridley's last punt is more Sometimes I think about death how Chaos is coming. Whether the project pans out or not, Ridley can be counted on to deliver a multifaceted performance, something that remains true in Hilditch's film. Ridley's chilling scenes with Mark Coles Smith playing an army lieutenant give the story an escalating climax, but it's her struggle with the expected (and inevitable) ending that adds the most gripping texture.
At one point in the film, it is stated that people who return to the Internet do so because they have unfinished business, a popular concept for the undead in horror films. Hilditch, however, flips the script and reflects on the unfinished business of the living—the unresolved disputes, the dreams left unfulfilled—and what we have to go through to realize our expectations of how life should turn out.
Often, zombie films (and ghost stories) focus on the motivations of the aggressor, and we follow the protagonist as he simply reacts to the actions of the undead. We bury the dead takes a different approach, acknowledging the emptiness that comes from feeling anger, rage, or sadness toward someone who can no longer respond.
Stephen Colbert famously asked Keanu Reeves, “What do you think will happen when we die?” six years ago at The Late Show with Stephen ColbertThe Canadian actor sighed and replied seriously: “I know those who love us will miss us.”
We bury the dead seems to be the cinematic embodiment of this feeling. Whether it's an ill-advised military exercise, a car accident, or a plane crash, the uncertainty surrounding death experienced by those left on this earth can be resisted or rationalized until the cows come home. But the fact is, we fight these futile battles because accepting defeat means accepting the pain of losing a loved one, a battle far more painful than any zombie can handle.
