Robin Campillo, 2004
8.0
the blurbs made it sound like a Shaun of the Dead-esque zombie film (the sci-fi b-movie english title doesn't help any), when in fact, it's quite the opposite. there's no talk of zombies here, no gore, no monsters. instead, and from the very first frame, director Robin Campillo treats this simply as people reappearing in life. the atypical nature of the event is acknowledged (the film's leads are part of a committee trying to deal with the crisis, giving us an incredibly sharp and helpful running commentary during the entire first act) but the filmmakers are not interested in setting up a mystery or trying to come up with a scientific explanation to it all. it just is. that's the premise of the film. the filmmakers are simply interested in the emotional reactions to this large-scale event. how do you deal with a loved one coming back into your life after years of getting over them? what's the nature of grief? do we simply forget about our loved ones? they're tackling tough subject matter, but it's handled with flair and intelligence. one would assume such a premise would make for a heavy -and dreary- film, but quite the opposite -- this film is humble, dignified, and a touching experience.
Posted by Anonymous | 1:50 AM
