Using the zombie movie as the wrapping for a film musing on the very notion of life and death, and the quality of time spent in either state, isn’t anything really new. It isn’t a monthly occurrence, although you could say that every zombie movie has certain questions and contemplations underpinning the standard undead shenanigans, but there are a number of them out there that I am happy to recommend to anyone interested. Halley is a title to add to that list, and it’s quite a good one.
The story is simple. Alberto (Alberto Trujillo) is dead. You wouldn’t necessarily know that though. He has still been going through the motions of life, even turning up for shifts as a night guard, but it is getting harder to maintain an image of normality. The smell is getting a bit worse. And the bugs. As Alberto starts to develop a relationship with a woman (played by Luly Trueba), it becomes more depressing to remember that he’s handicapped by his ongoing situation aka actually being dead.
Director Sebastián Hoffman also co-wrote the screenplay for this with Julio Chavezmontes, and the two do a great job of delivering a feature debut that manages to stay focused and quiet throughout, in line with the nature of the material, where others may have been tempted to punctuate the slowly-unfolding narrative with gore gags and jump scares. There’s unpleasantness here, but it’s viewed through the eyes of a main character who is just doing what so many lead characters want to do - stay “alive” until the end credits roll.
Trujillo does well in the lead role, moving through the world with a weight on his shoulders that makes him seem ready to leave normal life even before his symptoms worsen. Trueba is fine, used in the second half to offer the potential of an unexpected happiness to our lead, but there’s an even better connection, and a real sweetness, with a character played by Hugo Albores, who almost steals the movie with his beautiful little turn.
Not one to rush to if you are after some standard horror movie fun, Halley is a film for those who feel they have exhausted the usual selection of living dead movies. Quiet, dark, and full of pain, it’s a film that serves as a reminder that we are all still dying as we try to live our best life, and that pretty much guarantees that it’s not a happy and light viewing experience. I was underwhelmed by the very end, but everything else made this a pleasant discovery that I hope at least one or two others enjoy as much as I did.
7/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do
consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A
subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share
No comments:
Post a Comment