A post-apocalyptic podcast host struggles to maintain her listener base with most of humanity brain-dead and brain-devouring
Every respectable Independent Film Festival needs its own zombie movie and Meera Menon’s third cinematic feature film is just that for this year’s Sundance. The director who penned the cheeky mix of splatter, comedy and family drama with cinematographer Paul Gleason, only half succeeds in putting a fresh spin on the genre. The lack of originality is not surprising, given how heavy her work is both indebted to and infatuated with George A. Romero’s formative classic. From the moody black-and-white cinematography to the credit font and the zombie theme itself: Nods to Night of the Living Dead are as abundant in the small-town setting as are the undead “biters”.
The Why of the zombie plague is never explored. Instead, the unhurried plot focuses on the How. How do people go on living in a world where death can knock on their door any moment? Answer: By always having a javelin or stake at hand. How do they find human connection within a population drastically depleted? Answer: By listening to podcasts such as the titular show, hosted by pragmatic Vinita (Kiran Deol). Having just completed her 100th episode, she takes a break from touring the countryside with her maladjusted younger brother (Ali Lopez-Sohaili) who even after tow years of post-apocalyptic survival has never killed a zombie.
Which leads the darkly humorous plot to the last, narratively most relevant How: How do those who didn’t die live with a profound loss that has become so tragically common it is simply shrugged off? This depressing disregard for the necessity of mourning is not the only parallel to Covid. The emotional fallout of death becomes a recurring theme, though one never fully developed. With the unfazed casualness of her hero, Menon skips from one issue to the next. There are family ties that need to be severed or strengthened depending on if the relative in question is still alive, there is Vinita’s unreliable ex Vincent (George Basil) turning up again, and an orphaned baby demanding protection.
Half of these plot points end up either discarded or hastily stitched together, making this a story where both too much and too little happens. Action, suspense and scares are passed on for morbid jokes. Many of these, unfortunately, fall flat, leaving the family drama as the strongest aspect of a frustratingly underbaked work.There is lots of potential in the sardonic premise, refreshing diversity and unusual approach. But the lackluster special effects, hoards of unconvincing extras and most of all a fragmented story undermine these qualities. It’s the kind of film one just can’t hate – but it’s also rather hard to love.
- OT: Didn’t Die
- Director: Meera Menon,
- Screenplay: Meera Menon, Paul Gleason
- Year: 2025
- Distribution | Production © Cinetic Media