Perth’s own Zak Hilditch (These Final Hours, 1922) teams up with Daisy Ridley (Star Wars sequel trilogy) to deliver an introspective, dramatic film, centered around grief and regret. It also happens to be a zombie flick. One with a uniquely interesting take on the genre.
This article contains a few spoilers. If you’d like to keep the experience fresh, stop reading and come back later.
We Bury the Dead takes us to an apocalyptic Tasmania. A tropey military accident, a tropey experimental weapon of mass destruction.The outcome, switching off the brain of everything with a pulse. Creating a humanitarian and international crisis.
Enter Ava (Ridley). A US citizen who’s joined the volunteer effort, with the agenda of locating her recently estranged husband. There’s a catch, some of the dead are waking up. The recently deceased denizens aren’t hungry for brains or blood. They’re just confused. In pain, physically and emotionally. Worse than waking up on a Tuesday with a bad cold. It’s rigor mortis and rotting flesh. The physical pain and discomfort is written on every reanimated face and this is what brings the real horror. These dead people become fully aware. Then go insane.
This is what sets Bury the Dead apart. It’s a slow moving beast. Taking the time to weave character drama and build narrative around the pitfalls of running away from, and towards, your problems.
Brenton Thwaites (Son of a Gun, Titans) and Mark Coles Smith (Pawno, Sweet As) support as Clay and Riley. Each bringing their own trauma to this quiet hellscape. Clay brings mild comedy relief as a man of few words, with varied expression. Riley flirting the knife’s edge between benevolent authority and malevolent madman.
Hilditch and team shot the film around Albany, South Western Australia. The cinematography is spectacular, showcasing the gorgeous visuals surrounding the town. Anecdotally, fooling Tasmanian audiences. The film pulls off a masterclass in making a small budget flick look bigger than it is.
International distribution has seen We Bury the Dead screen for the last month in the United States, with mixed reaction. A common complaint online appears to be it’s too slow, not enough deaths, not enough gore. It’s in no way a bad film. It’s actually pretty good! Just another example of Australian cinema doing it differently. It’s the cerebral, emotional approach and the isolating landscape that carries We Bury the Dead.
We Bury the Dead opens in Aussie cinemas Thursday 5th of Feb. It’s well worth the price of admission, a worthy 8/10 shovels to the head. Spiritual successor to Hilditch’s other excellent Perth based flick, These Final Hours. A combo ripe for double feature treatment, from fans of Australian genre cinema.
