‘We Bury the Dead’ Review: Daisy Ridley Leads an Australian Disaster Flick Stuck in Zombie Movie Purgatory

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As a cinephile, I’d say Zak Hilditch’s Australian disaster flick “We Bury the Dead” grapples with its own identity as a zombie movie. It truly shines when it dares to reimagine the familiar subgenre in innovative ways, creating chilling sequences that offer a unique, dark peek into the enigmatic corners of human nature. However, it frequently veers back towards conventional horror tropes at an alarming pace, leading to an uneven structure and thought-provoking philosophical ponderings butting heads with gripping dramatic scenes.

On a shoestring budget, the movie “We Bury the Dead” generates an instant impression of grandeur and drama. This is primarily due to its core concept: An unintended deployment of a destructive weapon by the United States near Australia’s southern coast, which unleashes a massive EMP. This electromagnetic pulse has led to as many as half a million people mysteriously losing their lives by causing their brains to shut down. Remarkably, some of these individuals have seemingly restarted, but without any trace of personality; instead, they are driven solely by their primitive instincts.

In Tasmania, a complex operation to recover bodies, led by the military, unfolds. An American woman named Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) journeys there in search of her husband Mitch (Matt Whelan), who might still be alive after some sort of incident. She teams up with a rugged local, Clay (Brenton Thwaites), and together they gather deceased individuals’ remains from their homes over a week later and signal nearby soldiers if there are any indications of life.

For the first instance where she encounters a figure like this – a man frozen stiff, his blank gaze locking onto hers – the movie delves into intriguing realms. Instead of searching these individuals for signs of intellect or recall, the Australian military resorts to them in a coldly bureaucratic manner: by shooting them in the head. Given the lack of information about their affliction (and hence, uncertainty regarding her husband’s condition), the gazes of these “zombies” grow strangely captivating, as the camera continues to focus on Ridley’s fear and fascination.

Initially, the film appears to delve into the complex question of where consciousness ceases and death begins. However, instead of continuing this intriguing exploration, it introduces a twist: the dead start walking and attacking, which seems like a deviation from its unique take on the undead. Yet, even this conventional shift feels inadequate. As Ava flees south with Clay’s assistance, they navigate through military checkpoints towards a resort where her husband was last seen. Along the way, they evade “walkers” who try to bite them, a common trope in the genre that has persisted for decades due to the assumption that a zombie bite carries a virus or microbe that can transform a living person into a walker. In contrast, “We Bury the Dead” lacks such a mechanism and fails to depict the violent scenes Ava and Clay are trying to avoid, which weakens the horror aspect of the film.

Nevertheless, despite its awkward scenes, the film manages to evoke sincere feelings of empathy. At one juncture, the pair encounters a soldier named Riley (Mark Coles Smith), who appears kind-hearted but is grappling with more than just sorrow – he’s struggling with an unresolved conclusion, something that Ava is also searching for. Smith delivers a remarkably intense and heart-rending portrayal, and witnessing Riley’s harrowing predicament intensifies the enigma about what awaits Ava at her destination.

Regrettably, it’s primarily through glimpses of Ava, found in others – whether alive or deceased, that we truly come to understand her. Delving into the remnants of people’s personal lives offers a chance to contemplate the life she may have led (indeed, more than the film’s flashbacks do, which are generally unclear about Ava and Mitch’s turmoil). Ridley occasionally stumbles with her American accent, a minor issue in itself since accents can vary greatly. However, this leads to her holding back most of her words and thus her feelings, giving the impression that she is putting all her energy into sounding authentic. She shines brightest when Ava remains silent, allowing her character’s lingering desperation to peek out from behind her eyes.

The film’s most impactful scenes make a lasting impression, despite being sparse and intermittent. However, they stand out significantly due to Chris Clark’s resonant score, which almost acts like a voiceover during quiet instances. Despite the film’s repetitive nature, its strengths keep it watchable throughout its duration, even as it bypasses its most intriguing concepts in favor of conventional, familiar themes.

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2025-03-12 03:46