Dead Lover

Saw a sneak preview of this, in 'Stink-O-Vision' (more on that in a sec), and, let me say, it should be nearly top of your 'to-view' list (with some caveats). The story, which I won't get too detailed about, follows a lonely gravedigger looking for love, but thwarted by her job-created, um, stench. Shortly after meeting her match, he suffers a tragic downing that leaves only his finger remaining and which our heroine tries to use to reanimate the rest of his body. Let's just say that some pretty wild stuff ensues. I will interrupt myself here to address the above caveat comment. While some of the film is 'gory,' it is squarely in the Monty Python mold (quite fake looking and played for laughs), the blood is merely only one of the, er, bodily fluids you'll want to get prepared to deal with – look, you know you better than I and some might find this a simdge too gross for their taste. It is filmed in 16mm, academy ratio, and black box theater-style using entirely in-camera effects and with make-up and acting style that recall (very strongly) German Expressionist cinema. There is a small cast, each playing multiple roles differentiated by goofy accents, stick-on (or drawn on) breads, and the like, all of whom are obviously having a total blast. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the US Girls-penned soundtrack is great. After our screening, we also had an amusing and interesting Q&A, via zoom, with co-writers and actors Ben Petrie and Grace Glowicki (the latter of whom was also the film's director) – both seem like truly lovely people. All in all, I thought this was friggin' hilarious, but on even more than of that, the level of care and DIY feel is kind of incredible. Oh, yeah, 'Stink-o-Vision'; I am not sure if the general release will have this feature -- it was added after the film played at Sundance – but we got a card with 10 smells related to the film, including, yes, the aforementioned 'stench' and other pretty gross things (and one less gross). It was fun, but probably not necessary to the viewing experience, unlike seeing this with an audience, the reactions of whom will, I guarantee, make the experience that much better. Seriously, go see it.