The Unliving (2010)
Post apocalyptic short film about a zombie virus that has spread over Sweden. The few remaining virus free survivors has closed themselves in gated communities away from the zombies. The survivors have learned to control the zombies with drugs so they can be used as a part of the workforce, entertainment etc. But one of the survivors finds his mother as zombie and makes a life altering decision.
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Very well executed
Just perfect...
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Sweden has never been good at genrefilm making with few exceptions and therefore this shortfilm came as an surprise for me.The films deals with an postapocalytic future where a zombievirus has been released on the population. The few survivors has managed to build gated communities and continue civilization behind walls, heavy armed security.One thing the survivors have learned is to domesticate the zombies by using drugs, and microchips. Using these tools the zombies do smaller jobs and become a useful part of society. Not everyone is happy with this development, but vast majority is content.But one day a young man who works with altering the zombies behaviour sees his own infected mother. He makes a decision that will change his life forever....One could say that this is very serious handling of the same content that Fido (2006), a black comedy about zombies, did a few years ago.The idea of implementing zombies as workforce and then trying create a society with that element and then providing a realistic atmosphere is a challenge but this short film pulls it off.Also the ethical discussion about human value, how to treat zombies, that is put forth in this film is better then one could have imagined.The director Hugo Lilja uses a very semi documentary feel to his short film and makes viewer buy into the storyline. The most impressive about this film is the special effects, and the acting.Most notably among the actors is Jonatan Rodriguez who have done mostly soap operas, and supporting parts in various films but here gets a chance to display a wider range.The biggest flaw however is the length, at 28 minutes is too long for shortfilm but too short for a full feature.There are however rumors that Hugo Lilja is going to develop this short into a full feature. If he does, I hope that he continues collaborating with the co-writers to this film, Robert Styrbjörn, Pella Kagerman.
To find that new angle on an idea repeatedly cudgelled to death is always hard. In THE UNLIVING, the zombie 'infection' has been going for a quarter of a century. Technology adapted them for modern society. Control-implants. They're now the country's most valuable economic resource. Zombies do everything. Elder-care. Catering. Smile at the check-out, serve me some coffee. There's one that's an opera star with a fanbase following. Finding a cure would destroy society as we know it. So that's out - it would be political suiciode. And keep that drug which restores memory in short supply for goodness sake. Dead? Terminating an 'unliving' is a criminal offence. Even for the 'catchers.' You've got to watch them. One zombie catcher finds his mother among the unliving. Idiot. He takes her home, cleans her up, ties her young but utterly disgusting body to the bed - before the girlfriend walks in. The Unliving is cool, brave and Swedish. Don't take granny. Especially if you think she has Alzheimers.