Sydney Film Festival 2019 - Film Review - The Dead Don't Die

(left) Adam Driver and Bill Murray - The Dead Don't Die

Independent director and screenwriter, Jim Jarmusch has created his own version of the zombie genre with this strange, oddly humorous and bizarre film set in the fictional town of Centreville, population 738. Not much happens in Centreville with its one diner, one motel and enormous funeral parlour.  The world has become unbalanced due to polar 'fracking' according to the new reports and  the local police led by Bill Murray feel something odd is going on. As the zombies arise from their graves, the townsfolk arm themselves for the apocalypse.

In addition to the key cast of Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigy and Bill Murray as the local police, there is a parade of characters with well established names including Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Luka Sabbat, Iggy Pop, RZA and Tom Waits. Tilda Swinton swings through as a samurai sword wielding funeral director (reminiscent of Uma Thurman in Kill Bill) decapitating zombies before being whisked off in an UFO.

Jarmusch devotees will recognise his unique social observational almost spoofish style with this film that should be viewed more than once due to the multi-layering of the script.