The Dead Thing
With Valentine ’s Day tight approaching , what better way to celebrate than to determine a motion picture designed to explore the bright and disconsolate path of New dating?The Dead Thing , Elric Kane ’s first solo directorial feature , offers glimpse of the complexities of human connection , toxic relationships , and co - dependency in a way that should excite up conversation . Yet the script , co - written by Webb Wilcoxen , takes a mild - mannered approach in tackling its themes . What we ’re left with is a film that prioritize repetition over progressive storytelling to make its points .
The story follows Alex ( Blu Hunt ) as she voyage the on-line dating scene . She finds her latest hookup through the “ Friktion ” app , leaving her feeling emptier after each conquest . According toThe Dead Thing , such is the spirit of dating in Los Angeles , where the norm is to meet up for expensive drinks and exchange small - public lecture pleasantries . When that ’s over , a nightcap often conduct to sex , leaving Alex in a less - than - satisfactory state . With Alex , it ’s not really about sexual activity though , which makes us wonder : What has this woman experienced to make her experience dead in spite of appearance ?
The Dead Thing Effectively Uses Noir To Tell Its Story
We never truly get concrete answers here , but the script does start to fiddle around with Alex ’s unfitness to touch base deeply . At almost 10 minutes into the flick , she finally speaks and asks her date , " Do you ever experience like there ’s just no escape ? " Alex is speaking to Kyle ( Ben Smith - Petersen ) , a big yet mysterious guy who put up her a different dating experience . She ’s eventually found an thinking and interesting fellow that sparks excited and strong-arm joining . So , when he disappear suddenly , it ’s no admiration Alex coil after lose the one soul with whom she ’s found a deep connection .
WhileThe Dead Thingdoesn’t rely on genre image like conspicuous jump panic , the firing and Kane ’s management usher in a tone that prepare us for the grim journey the character will experience .
On the hunt to find answers , Alex stumbles upon Kyle ’s well - kept privy , which sends her on a terrific uncovering of perniciousness in her family relationship . It ’s so much so that her original intellection of being ghosted seems more realizable . To voyage the spring up dynamic between Kyle and Alex , Kane employsnoir storytellingeffectively . As the key relationship uprise in complexness , so does the desolation to jibe Kyle ’s intense handle on Alex . Indeed , this is n’t your typicalsupernatural horror moving-picture show , but Kane adequately play into the aroused weight of the script to limit the stagecoach for fear to enter .
The Dead Thing Is Missing A Piece Of The Journey
But Elements Of The Horror Are Noteworthy
give the swell base of Kane and Wilcoxen ’s account , it ’s disappointing to say that it did n’t entirely puzzle out for me as a motion picture . What lead off as an interesting character study of a woman navigating a co - hooked family relationship quickly dies off and resultant role in a ghastly and tumultuous experience with deadly consequences . But the journey from how they begin to how they stop feels like its missing a great deal of setting in between . Never mind that the film ’s subtext thins out as we learn more about Kyle . This plastic film lacks certainty and uses reiteration to mask its gaping screenwriting issues .
Script aside , there are elements to this horror flick that are noteworthy . WhileThe Dead Thingdoesn’t rely onhorror genre image like blatant jump panic attack , the lighting and Kane ’s direction usher in a tincture that prepares us for the grim journey the graphic symbol will experience . Iona Vasile ’s filming does the backbreaking lifting as we navigate the shift in Alex and Kyle ’s family relationship from infatuation to obsession . Finally , Michael Krassner and Robin Vining ’s mark takes the film to the next level with its eerie sounds and ascent towards maximal volume .
Led by a stunning Renate Reinsve , Armand is a unique kind of thriller that pulse with tension and intrigue even when it dances away from naturalism .
While the technical constituent ofThe Dead Thingare true standouts , the flick is just fine . But when it comes to exploring modern geological dating in a digital cosmos , especially when discussing the danger thereof , we necessitate more than o.k. . We need great . Thanks to a stellar lead carrying out from Hunt , it was almost there . The compelling emotional constituent regarding human connection were there as well . This is merely an model of misalignment when it come to direction and script . Because while Kane ’s imagination is mostly clear , the execution of this especial hand lurch .
The Dead Thingis streaming on Shudder on Friday , February 14 .
