by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Disasters can affect people in countless ways. Disasters take lives forcing those who are left, to pick up the pieces after their passing. Trying to understand how or why incredibly tragic events happen can drive a person crazy. Trying to find closure after losing someone you love can affect you in more ways than just grieving, it can make you question everything about your relationship with them. We Bury the Dead tries and fails to capture this feeling.
After a nuclear weapon detonates off the coast of Tanzania, Eva (Daisy Ridley) is left wondering what happened to her husband Mitch (Matt Whelan), who was there on a vacation. Joining a group for cleanup, she volunteers to scour the island. But there are rumors that a few of the deceased might be returning from the dead. With hope that she might find Mitch alive or at least undead, Eva journeys deeper into the disaster zone.
If there is one thing that can be said about Daisy Ridley it’s that she is not afraid to try almost anything. In the last few years, she has sampled characters dealing with loss, depression, or family responsibility. Some of these movies were good choices, most weren’t, but I admire her decision making. She always delivers a sincere effort in her performance, and We Bury the Dead is no exception. Playing someone grief-stricken is difficult, but searching for a loved one adds more depth to the character. She has a way of conveying very subtle emotions simply by controlling her facial muscles. Those really come in handy as the plot thickens and the stakes becomes clearer regarding the Eva and Mitch’s marriage. It’s too bad her talents are wasted on largely uninteresting, cookie cutter story beats.
While I appreciate the core search of trying to find someone, the 90-minute run time relies far too much on Eva finding desperate people instead of her husband. Dealing with the undead was a given and those scenes are tense enough, but the dangerous humans she meets are exactly what you would expect. Maybe they just wish their own loved ones were not zombies. Maybe they think they can take advantage of the chaos. But none of them are worth the 10-15 minutes of screen time they get. I think the plot would have been better served if Eva was getting lost and finding clues of Mitch’s whereabouts. All the while she can be running away from or re-killing the recently revived dead.
Speaking of the zombies, credit where credit is due: the makeup and styling are solid. We have not reached The Last of Us levels of creature design, however these zombies feel like real people, but look just off enough that they don’t feel human. This gives the zombies a different kind of realism that I respect, unfortunately, the uniqueness stops there for the undead. They don’t communicate or have special abilities. Chasing and trying to kill are their goals. They seem hell bent on trying to communicate by grinding their teeth but all that did for me was to serve as a reminder to floss.
I know I just mentioned the show The Last of Us so maybe I’m a little spoiled with the quality of “zombie” content I’ve seen the last few years. That doesn’t change the fact that I wanted more from We Bury the Dead. With the stereotypical threats and store brand zombies I likely will not remember all of this one. Hopefully that opinion won’t get me stalked by the undead in the night.
Rating: Just Okay
We Bury the Dead is currently playing in theaters
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