Navigating the complexities of romance is a minefield that’s often navigated by the old adage ” there’s a lid for every pot” , suggesting that no matter how quirky or unattractive someone may be , they’ll inevitably find someone who thinks they’re perfect . This idea is taken to an absurd extreme in the indie film “Dead Lover” – a tale so unique that a film about a passionate romance blossoming over the stench of decomposing corpses is actually pretty believable. Set in a bleak , gothic world that seems to be stuck in a time warp somewhere between the Victorian era and the depths of a nightmare , the movie follows a lonely Gravedigger ( Grace Glowicki ) and her wealthy aristocratic Lover ( Ben Petrie ). The film may sound ridiculous, but in this Dead Lover movie review, we find it to be a seriously romantic , quietly radical and downright unconventional love story.
The Chemistry Between the Leads is The Real Deal
The connection between the leads feels completely genuine , which might just be because they’re actually married in real life – like a real-life fairy tale. They previously appeared in Honey Bunch, directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli . In this film, Ben Petrie showcases his acting chops by playing seven different characters – each one is a work of art in its own right . He pops up in the background scenes dressed in wigs and accents, playing the likes of:
- A lesbian nun
- A German swimmer
- A trio of snobbish old gossips
- The aristocratic Lover whose sweet nothings drive the whole plot
Grace Glowicki plays a Cockney Gravedigger, but her involvement with the project is a lot deeper – she also directed the whole thing.
A Film Made with Love and Craft
The production credits look like a visitor’s booklet from a small village – you’d need a map to keep track of all the different people who contributed to this project . There are so many “story by” credits, it’s like an essay – nine people chipped in on the plot while only four of them actually got to take centre stage. The other cast members, Leah Doz and Lowen Morrow, play multiple roles as well.
Shot entirely on a tiny black box theatre-style set , the film uses a load of different tricks to create its look :
- Miniatures
- Stop-motion animation
- Old-fashioned special effects created by crew member Michael Harmon
The result is a cardboard-and-construction-paper look that feels like it’s straight off the page of a Tim Burton storybook. The stark theatre lighting really brings it home – like they’ve taken a spotlight and pinned it to Glowicki’s feet to simulate a crackling fireplace . And then there’s the 16mm cinematography, which grounds the whole thing in a tangible , real-world feel, even when things get completely ridiculous .
Queering the Frankenstein Myth – and maybe even getting a laugh out of you.
“Dead Lover” is one of these films that puts its hand up, makes you look over your shoulder, and then quietly sneaks in and queer’s up the good old Frankenstein myth while making you giggle with its antics. Mary Shelley is now rightfully regarded as the Mother of Science Fiction – and more often than not, modern re-interpretations are exploring bodily autonomy with a feminist “take” – and it’s not hard to fit this film into that particular crowd.
What sets this film apart is that while it’s all very silly – and I mean that in the best possible way – it’s also pretty darn liberatory. When our Gravedigger brings her Lover back from the dead after he meets a watery demise at sea, he first pops up as a very long finger – and you know what? It doesn’t seem to faze their love life one bit. The narrative goes to great pains to tell you that it’s perfectly possible to change from a man into a woman and vice versa – the only things that really matter are that love and sex are eternal.
Performance & Tone – Crazy and sometimes sweet
Glowicki’s performance is big, broad and completely over the top – and yet it’s also just so darn charming. She uses these utterly ridiculous facial expressions and crazy, loquacious monologues to convey the whole gamut of emotions – and the end result is pretty much comedy gold. The whole film’s got a lo-fi charm going on – like when branches are smacking her about the head as she runs on the spot through a dodgy forest set.
But then at times it also – and completely out of the blue – gets really pathetically moving. When some rival tries to tell the Gravedigger that her Lover is a bit of a cad who uses the same old lines on all the poor women he encounters, you can actually feel a lump forming in your throat.
The supporting cast is equally game for a laugh – and Leah Doz is particularly amazing as a re-animated opera singer who’s just died and gone to sex heaven.
Stink-O-Vision – or how to get the most out of “Dead Lover”
To be honest, the film’s thin and paper-thin at times – but they get away with it by introducing these side characters who serve as the philosophical “I told you so” – and also conveniently – become the Gravedigger’s next guinea-pig.
The final shot is quite simply bizarre and lovely – with the two lovers tenderly caressing each other against a bright pink gravestone while a sweet U.S. Girls song plays in the background. It’s a moment that totally transcends the boundaries of love, death, and – you know – all that other stuff. And if you’re feeling fancy, you can even get a “Stink-O-Vision” experience – which I can pretty much guarantee will just make the whole thing even more weird and wonderful.
Final Verdict
So, what you’ve got to do is just imagine this whole film was done by The Mighty Boosh – who then did a special production of The Bride of Frankenstein – because that’s pretty much what you get here – a film with an open heart and a willingness to take risks – but one which is also so daft and silly that it can be a total barrier to entry for a lot of people. Only the most die-hard fans are really going to be able to let their hair down and just go with it.
But – if you are one of those lovable crazies who is up for a real challenge and is willing to give this film the benefit of the doubt – then you’ll be rewarded with something that is really quite unique. It’s an invitation into a very special kind of mystery – and one in which the most romantic words in the English language are probably – and I mean this – don’t wash.
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