The Returned (2013)
I'm sure every screenwriter is straining to find a way to tap into the zombie movie craze while it's hot. So here's the latest twist—an antidote exists for zombie-ness. Those who are now safely taking their medication are no longer zombies and are dubbed "the Returned."
Of course, these are prejudiced against, and of course there is a constant search for enough medicine to go around—but I'm getting ahead of myself. The main point is that now we can have the threat of zombies without quite having zombies. So maybe this isn't a zombie movie after all!
Except it is, and cleverly so. The leading woman is a doctor who is aware the shortage of medicine—and someone she loves (unnamed here) is one of the Returned, so it matters very much. Tension builds nicely in a couple of different ways, and the general mood (mostly avoiding the usual grotesqueness) is steadily intense. It's good stuff, and a nice surprise. I'm not sure why the overall rating is so low.
This is a Spanish production with a mostly North American cast, so it's basically a low budget fringe film. It doesn't feel like it, however, so expect something solid. Canadian Emily Hampshire is the leading actor, and she gives it all credibility. If there is a weakness here it might be a lack of adventure—the plot follows its logical line closely and the small turns of events are not surprising, quite.
Still, it's well enough done I say, watch it if you are inclined to this kind of movie at all. Or to a quieter kind of zombie plot.
