Goya Award-winning writer and director Beatriz Sanchíz is definitely exorcising some ghosts in her dark comedy/drama They Are All Dead.
Subdued, yet touching, They Are All Dead is an interesting bit of film-making from an incredibly talented up-and-coming filmmaker. While it does feature some fantastic actors and a top-notch soundtrack, I do wonder why I feel a little let down by the whole package.
Elena Anaya (another Goya winner amongst the cast and crew) plays Lupe, an agoraphobic former rock star who hasn’t left the family home since her brother and bandmate Diego (Nahuel Pérez Biscayarty) died in a tragic accident. Her relationship with her teenage son, Pancho (Christian Bernal), is strained at best, and becomes even more complex when his new friend appears and takes quite a liking to her. Oh, and to complicate things even more, Diego seems to have come back from the dead…
They Are All Dead is, essentially, your typical feel-good family drama, albeit with ghosts and 80s pop-rock thrown into the mix. It is lighthearted and comical in parts, bringing a very Spanish style of magic into the classic feel-good formula. However, the general quiet of the film’s more dramatic sections and the main characters’ strangely apathetic interactions with the world around them make this movie feel a bit soft around the edges.
What does spice things up though is the inclusion of some great pop-rock tracks in the soundtrack, complete with synths and catchy, upbeat melodies. The film’s intro credit sequence is fabulous; it’s a real 80s VHS-style music video, full of neon colours and massive hairdos. It’s that cheesy vibe of yester-year that we all know and love.
The aesthetic of “forgotten stardom” is also one of my favourite aspects of the film. Lupe’s house is essentially a ruined monument to 80s rock; with poster, newspaper clippings and vinyls piling up along the walls and dusty keyboards and guitars waiting, just waiting, to be picked up again. There’s a real sense that there are more ghosts in the house than just Diego.
Elena Anaya is a stunning actress who manages to pull off her character’s eccentricities without going overboard. Pérez Biscayarty is similarly talented, with an undeniable look to match his off-kilter character. In fact, most of the characters in this film are fairly unique and rounded, each with enough personality and physical quirks to command attention on their own.
While They Are All Dead does follow a similar path to other family dramas, it does so with a distinct and confident style – one that mixes traditional spirituality, magical realism and neon-coloured pop-rock. It may not be the most mind-blowing film I’ve ever seen, but I can see it picking up some great cult-appeal down the track.
Reviewed by James Rudd
Twitter: @james_wrr
Rating out of 10: 6
They Are All Dead screens on 10 May 2015 as part of the 18th annual Spanish Film Festival, exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas.
More News
