West Australian filmmaker Zak Hilditch has crafted a genuinely terrifying cinematic experience with his latest horror offering, We Bury The Dead, a film that delivers scares extending far beyond its undead antagonists.
A Premise That Hits Close to Home
The film opens with news coverage detailing a catastrophic United States military accident occurring near Hobart, with Western Australia's Albany standing in for the Apple Isle. This disaster results in countless fatalities and sets the stage for American protagonist Ava, portrayed by Daisy Ridley, to travel Down Under in search of her missing husband.
Interestingly, Hilditch wrote the screenplay before the COVID-19 pandemic and long before the AUKUS security pact became a reality during Scott Morrison's prime ministership. Yet the film's depiction of nuclear submarines based in Western Australia creates striking contemporary parallels that make the movie's premise feel uncomfortably plausible.
Beyond the Walking Dead
Where We Bury The Dead truly distinguishes itself is in its exploration of themes beyond typical zombie genre conventions. The film follows Ava as she volunteers for a body retrieval unit tasked with disposing of thousands of Tasmanians killed in the military accident, hoping this might lead her to husband Mitch, played by Matt Whelan.
When the Australian military prevents her from accessing the disaster's epicentre where Mitch was last seen, she teams up with proper Aussie larrikin Clay, portrayed by a delightfully bogan-ified Brenton Thwaites. Together they embark on a zombie-dodging road trip that reveals the real monsters in any apocalypse might not be the undead, but rather other surviving humans.
Emotional Depth in a Crowded Genre
In a cinematic landscape saturated with zombie narratives, Hilditch manages to find fresh territory by using the undead as a vehicle for examining profound human experiences. The film explores themes of loss, grief, and the difficulty people face in letting go, particularly when there remains unfinished business with departed loved ones.
Daisy Ridley, fresh from her role as everyone's favourite Jedi since Obi-Wan Kenobi, proves perfectly cast for this emotional journey. The Star Wars hero demonstrates remarkable ability to convey complex emotions in scenes requiring minimal action, providing the film with its emotional core and maintaining a riveting presence throughout.
A Distinctive West Australian Achievement
We Bury The Dead balances respect for zombie genre traditions with innovative storytelling approaches, resulting in a thought-provoking and poignant cinematic experience. The film even introduces one of the all-time great zombie idiosyncrasies that audiences will immediately recognize upon hearing it.
This Western Australian production represents a significant achievement in local filmmaking, delivering legitimate terror while exploring deeper human themes. The movie's MA15+ rating reflects its intense content, and with its current cinema release, Australian audiences can experience this distinctive horror offering that proves there remains compelling new ground to explore even in well-trodden genres.
