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Director Thea Hvistendahl wanted to make a movie about how grief-stricken people would cope with getting their loved ones back, even if they’ve returned as the undead. Or, as we’ve all come to know them, zombies. It’s a fabulous premise for apsychological horror filmin a genre wrought with retreads, but in Hvistendahl’s inventive new outing,Handling the Undead,that horror is superbly understated. The most terrifying thing about this Norwegian horror mystery is knowing what the living dead are capable of, as the filmmaker delicately moves us through 90 minutes that’s light on dialogue yet loaded with intrigue.
Written by Hvistendahl and John Ajvide Lindquist (Let the Right One In), the drama stars Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, and Inesa Dauksta. We begin the journey on a slow summer day in Oslo, but it soon spawns the most life-altering events. Somehow, the dead awaken, and three families are thrust into turmoil when theirdeceased loved onesreturn to the living world. Why are they back? More importantly, what do they want?
Watching this troika come to terms with the unfathomable makes for a compelling drama,but the brilliance here is how well Hvistendahl manages to keep the audiences captivatedwhile she intentionally keeps everything simmering on a slow boil. If you’re looking for bloody kills, an onslaught of jump scares, and zombies feasting on a human smorgasbord,Handling the Undeadis not that movie. It’s much better, in fact, often smarter and thoroughly captivating.
Handling the Undead
Handling the Undeadpremiered in Sundance’s World Dramatic competition and immediately generated buzz. The story pulls you in, but cinephiles were undoubtedly intrigued by the fact that the film comes from writer John Ajvide Lindquist,based on his bookof the same name. Lindquist also penned the international bestsellerLet the Right One Inand went on to write the screenplay for that Swedish film, which became a big hit after its 2008 release. Critics called it one of the finest vampire movies to hit the screen. The 2022 Showtime seriesfeatured Demián Bichir(The Nun, Alien: Covenant).
The pace and vibe ofHandling the UndeadrecallsLet the Right One In,of course – slow-moving yet powerful. It’s a muggy summer day in Oslo. We’re introduced to Mahler (Sundquist), a man in his 70s returning to the simplistic apartment building where his adult child, Anna (Reinsve), prepares for work but can hardly acknowledge him. Something grim hangs over both of them and soon enough, we discover that Anna isgrieving the lossof her young son Elias. Elsewhere, Tora (Børsum) says one last goodbye to her life partner, Elisabet (Damani), before she’s rolled off to the back of a funeral parlor. The third creative leg here is a happy family.David and Eva (Lie and Pars) have created a lovely life with their children, but that’s all about to change.
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There’s no real indication of why some of the dead have come back to life. A mysterious swarm of birds hints that something ominous hovers in the air. Car alarms go off. Power outages suggest something is awry, but – at least from the audience’s perspective – it has very little to do with the muggy summer day. Later, when a car accident leaves Eva on life support, the movie shifts.
We float to Mahler, who, sensing something has transpired, proceeds to dig up the grave of his grandson. Elias is alive/undead, after all, and very peaceful. Tora awakens to find Elisabet wandering around like a zombie in their apartment in the middle of the night. Eva emerges from life support, but she, too, is in a zombie state. These reawakenings shock everybody involved,but there’s also something soothing, if not bittersweet, about the return of these loved ones. But the allure is ultimately short-lived.
A New Approach to Handling the Undead
Even Anna, who was intent on taking her own life due toher depressive state, cannot fully grapple with what is taking place. Upon Elias’s return, she nurtures her boy, but there’s no one there. Tora washes and clothes Elisbet, but to what end? There’s nothing behind the eyes. Yet. Slowly, the film keeps pulling back the layers.Zombies can be stoic. But maybe the opposite is true, too. And there’s no telling when the switch gets turned on. When Eva’s family visits her at the hospital to celebrate her son’s birthday, she’s handed the son’s birthday present – a rabbit. That doesn’t go well.
Director Thea Hvistendahl manages all these elements with great finesse.Handling the Undeadbecomes more of a meditative outing about dealing with the unfathomable and, perhaps, our roles in death itself. Cinematographer Pål Ulvik Rokseth’s dulled tones perfectly evoke the solemn nature of the material. Production designer Linda Janson leans into all shades of grays, dead blues, browns, and blacks. Composer Peter Raeburn delivers softer notes until the final 10 minutes.
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The film does a glorious job leading up to its true awakening: the realization that even though these beloved dead ones have returned, living with them now may be deadly. Stay with this fascinating endeavor. Give it time to crawl under your skin. The film recalls some of the nuances found inM. Night Shyamalan’s movies, where the fun is imagining what the true terror really is and how, or if, it will play.
LikeMelancholia, Immaculate,and the indie darlingA Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,Handling the Undeadis downright thought-provoking, with an ending to marvel at. And everything else in between is deep, existential, and haunting.Handling the Undead,from Neon,opens in theaters May 31. Watch the trailer below.
