A woman travels to Tasmania in search of her husband after an American weapon of mass destruction killed the whole population… but brought some back.
Dramatic and horrific, but, in the end, undecided. Ah, the familiar revelation: the American government is responsible for a catastrophe somewhere else. Shocking, right? Well, it makes for a good cinematic horror, so let’s see how effective it is.
We Bury the Dead is not Hollywood. It is a proud Australian production, and that difference matters. Instead of focusing on the outbreak itself or the frantic survivalism typical of zombie cinema, the film explores something more unusual – the psychological aftermath of a partially zombified world, with a hint of survival action.
Because it comes from outside Hollywood, the narrative carries a certain unpredictability. The storytelling choices – both narratively and audiovisually – refuse to follow the conventional template of the zombie subgenre. Writer/director Zak Hilditch deliberately shifts attention away from spectacle and toward emotional consequence. And that makes the film surprisingly difficult to discuss without spoiling it.
For much of the runtime, the threat remains largely undefined. The horror elements often step aside to allow the drama and thriller components to dominate. Questions naturally arise: Does the condition spread? Can the returned harm the living? What happens if someone is bitten? The film plays with these expectations by withholding clear answers. Instead, it focuses on one question that it does address, but with ambiguity and no definite scientific data (because they don’t know either): why did some come back while others did not – and why are those who returned… different?
At the centre of it all is Daisy Ridley. Whatever she touches tends to shine, and this film is no exception. Ridley anchors the story with intended intensity, carrying the emotional weight of a narrative that is far more personal than apocalyptic. Her performance defines the character-driven journey through grief, love, and persistence.
In many ways, the film is less about zombies and more about a heroine’s journey – one propelled by a painful personal subplot that sets the story in motion. Along the way, both human and undead horrors interfere with that quest. The closest tonal comparison might be New Life (2023): https://kaygazpro.com/new-life-2023/ – independent American or Outside (2024): https://kaygazpro.com/outside-2024/ from the Philippines – genre pieces that prioritise emotional tension over spectacle.
We Bury the Dead may not be the zombie film audiences expect, but it is a compelling cinematic experience nonetheless. Thoughtful, unsettling, and anchored by a commanding lead performance, it leaves an impression throughout, but also an ending that lacks the cliffhanger the audience may expect or that feeling when our jaws will hit the floor.
Hilditch has made one of my favourite apocalyptic films of all time, and in my opinion, it still is his best work yet: These Final Hours (2013): https://kaygazpro.com/these-final-hours-2013-drama-sci-fi-thriller/
P.S. The teeth-grinding will get under your skin every single time.
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Solidarity for all the innocent lives that suffer the atrocities of war!
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