Just when you suppose filmmakers have beat every possible take onzombies , a new motion picture comes along to prompt you that there are stillfresh storieswaiting to creep out of the grave . An io9 reviewsaid nearly the same thing aboutHandling the Undead , which played the Sundance Film Festival in 2024 — and 2025 ’s currently underway event has a likewise offbeat zombie spirit story inDidn’t Die .
Set two year after an unspecified irruption transform most of the universe into “ biters,”Didn’t Dieintroduces us to Vinita ( a charismatic Kiran Deol ) , whose main cope mechanics is create her “ podcast”—which is actually spread over the receiving set , since there ’s no internet in the Emily Post - Revelation . She dwells within a hard shell craft mostly of satire ; it ’s allowed her to face her dystopian novel reality with an upbeat spirit , though she also adhere to the comforting knowledge that while her parents might be out of the pictorial matter , her brothers are still a boastful part of her animation .
After time spent traveling around interview fellow survivors for the podcast , which is also titledDidn’t Die , Vinita and youthful buddy Rish ( Vishal Vijayakumar ) have returned to their hometown , more specifically to their puerility home , to stay with older brother Hari ( Samrat Chakrabarti ) and his wife , Barbara ( Katie McCuen ) . They ’re doomsday - prepped in that they apparently have plenty of solid food stockpiled , and their existence feels comparatively secure , all things considered .
© Paul Gleason
The cozy status quo gets a shake - up when Vinita ’s much - despised old-hat Vincent ( George Basil ) shows up with a baby — not his , but a foundling spared when her family was killed . That requires some ill at ease adjusting , but there ’s also another , more urgent shift key in circumstances : biter , which were formerly purely nocturnal , have evolve and are now go forth in the daylight .
Most ofDidn’t Dieis shoot in black and white , echoing back to George Romero’sNight of the Living Dead — the grandaddy of snake god picture that ’s also referenced here by make a character Barbara , and by bear most of the action take place in an set-apart land house . But whileNight of the Living Deadfocused on a chemical group of strangers who must madly work together to hold out , all while not really understanding what they ’re up against , Didn’t Diedigs into the emotional toll of an ongoing catastrophe , as experienced by a class that may not always agree on strategy , but shares a cryptic dear .
Did n’t Die‘s script , by conductor Meera Menon and co - author Paul Gleason , draw inspiration from the real - living pandemic , especially the wide range of reactions it root for out of people . For Rish , it ’s fear ; Hari is overly protective ; Vincent choose self - isolation ; Barbara takes a sudden interest in crafting ; and Vinita becomes fixated on her podcast — though even she allow “ Nobody told me the Book of Revelation was gon na be so boring . ”
© Paul Gleason
Living in the dwelling where they grew up , the siblings ca n’t help but slip back into nostalgia , whichDidn’t Dieillustrates with gauzy , glad flashbacks . But despite fleeting bit of joyfulness in lockdown , there are literal monsters prowl around outside , and as Vinita herself tells her hearer , it ’s important to live on for the futurity , rather than wallow in store of what can never be again .
Though it does n’t deport many unlimited frights , Didn’t Diedoes an admirable task of capturing the unease of “ unprecedented time , ” with a particularly eery sound blueprint that convey the ambient dark - sentence noise of hungry ululation from every direction . The characters have become used to it after hearing it for so long , but it ’s freaky all the same . Didn’t Diealso , perhaps astonishingly , has doses of humour sprinkled throughout , with welcome moments that keep the type ’ monochromatic world from feelingtoogloomy .
Did n’t Diepremiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival ; it does not yet have a release date .
need more io9 news ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on flick and TV , and everything you ask to know about the future ofDoctor Who .
Did n’t DieSundance Film Festival
Daily Newsletter
Get the good tech , science , and culture news in your inbox daily .
News from the futurity , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
