While looking for a connection on a dating app, a young woman meets a mysterious, charming man who sweeps her off her feet. Or did she?
Written by Elric Kane and Webb Wilcoxen and directed by Kane, The Dead Thing takes its sweet sweet time setting things up, going beyond slow burn and getting to what can be seen as the pivotal moment at the midway point of the runtime instead of the usual 20 minutes in. This somehow doesn’t really affect the film as those first 45 minutes do not feel like they are dragging or long, but it does lead to wondering if anything of impact will happen any time soon while watching. The characters and how they are written, their lives, the way they are here are simply enough to keep the interest while awaiting the story to take a turn or a twist.
The cast here is amazing. The lead, Blu Hunt is just about perfect in the part of Alex, she’s nuanced, charming, quirky, and all around the right pick for this part. She gives a solid performance that shows how talented she is. Her work here is natural in an unusual situation. She’s exactly what this film needs and gives her all in the part. Playing her mysterious man, Kyle, is Ben Smith-Petersen who comes off a bit off from the start, giving his character mystery and a bit of a dislikable streak. His performance fits the part and what it needs, he’s a bit off-putting while being charming, creating the right balance for the role. The supporting cast works great here as well, each giving their character personality and depth.
The film’s look here is a mix of ethereal and reality, somewhere between the darkness of a perfect night and the lights of a bar, in a world where people spend more time at home with their conquests than at work. The stark difference between the office scenes and the home scenes shows that the decor and lighting are used just right to create two very different worlds within the life of one single character. The cinematography by Ioana Vasile works fantastically great with these and the editing by Star Rosecrans brings it all together just right.
The Dead Thing is a film that takes a long while to get in the meat of the story, but it’s more than worth sticking with until things get really started. The character development works well, and the cast is amazing. It’s one of those films that won’t be for everyone, but for those who will get it into, it’s one of those that is riveting and makes you want just a little bit more.
This year the Fantasia International Film Festival runs in Montreal from July 18th to August 4th.