THE DEAD DON'T DIE (2019): The Artsy-Oddball "Hang Sesh" Of Zombie Movies
Schlockmania had severe misgivings when the trailer for The Dead Don't Die first emergedonline. It looked like another MarsAttacks: i.e., a vintage b-movie premise that had more talent thrown at itthen it could bear, resulting in a wink-wink/nudge-nudge exercise in painfullyself-conscious camp. Thankfully, a look at the film itself reveals that The Dead Don't Die has more going onthan the trailer first suggested. Mileage will vary depending on the viewer's mood and interests but thisis a surprisingly agreeable little lark that's more inspired than it first letson.
TheDead Don't Die is set in a rural small town inPennsylvania that bears more than a passing resemblance to the setting of Night Of The Living Dead. News reportssuggest that fracking at the earth's poles is throwing it off its axis but thetownspeople just sleepwalk through their day. The town populace includessad-sack sheriff Cliff (Bill Murray), downbeat deputy Ronnie (Adam Driver),nervous deputy Mindy (Chloe Sevigny), ornery Hermit Bob (Tom Waits), oddballmortician Zelda (Tilda Swinton) and genre enthusiast gas station owner Bobby (CalebLandry Jones). Sure enough, the earth'saxis issues result in the dead hungrily returning to life, leaving thetownspeople to deal with impending doom in ways brutal and deadpan/darklyhumorous.
The resulting film is being greeted with a collectiveshrug: it's not spoof-ish enough for the comedy crowd, too willfully goofballfor the horror crowd and too thematically lightweight for the arthouse crowdwho normally enjoys director Jim Jarmusch's work. To Schlockmania's point ofview, it doesn't really try to fulfill any of the above mandates. Instead, itis content to take the conventions and themes of the zombie subgenre and bringthem to heel so they can be remolded into a low-key, Jarmusch-style "hangsesh" of a film.
As a result, TheDead Don't Die never rises above a level of modest amusement and thatactually seems to be the point. There are moments of fourth-wall breaking, somegentle tweaking of right-winders and recurring gags (the best is the film'sbeguiling vintage country-style theme and various characters' thoughts on it). That said, these bits aren't there to strainfor laughs but instead to establish an off-kilter atmosphere of bemusement. Thesame could be said for the zombie action, with is surprisingly bloody andinvolved but captured in a style that is matter-of-fact surreal andoff-handedly funny all at once.
If you're looking for high levels of ambition or pointedsatire from The Dead Don't Die,you'll probably be disappointed. Thisfeels like a between-big-projects style exercise for Jarmusch and company, anopportunity to play with horror and comedy elements in a way that reflects thecurrent mood. The one, gently communicated theme that seems to jump out here isthe idea that our society has grown too used to ignoring bad news orconstructing their own personal worlds that they fail to see the larger-scaledangers creeping up on them. That feelspretty accurate and the understated way it's handled reflects Jarmusch's style. It's also interesting to note that he handlesthe zombie attack scenes with unexpected skill, mixing prosthetics and digitalFX in a way that's often more visually interesting than a lot of serious zombiefilms.
The biggest fun here comes from just hanging out withthe cast and watching them interact (note: the mannered style of performancecommunicates much better in the film than it does in the trailer). Murray andDriver share a competitive charisma as they try to out-deadpan each other andSevigny does a pitch-perfect rendition of the "heroine succumbing totrauma" in what seems to be a tribute to Judith O'Dea. There's also fun work from indie horrorfixture Larry Fessenden as a motel owner and Buscemi doing his familiar"annoyed jerk" schtick. That said, the scene stealer is Swinton asthe quirkiest of the characters - and in a nice touch, the film actually comesup with an interesting way to explain her quirks.
In short, The Dead Don't Die isn't for all tastes but it's an amusing, distinctively stylized little lark if you can tune into its eccentric wavelength. In a season filled with crummy sequels, it's oddly comforting to see an arthouse guy infiltrate a commercial style of horror and bend its elements to fit his own aesthetics and interests. If that sounds fun, it just might give you a brief break from the summer multiplex doldrums.
