It is rare for a zombie movie to
feature the concept of zombies becoming humans again (I believe it was only with
2013’s Warm Bodies where I encountered
it happening for the first time). So by
making it its premise, the indie film The
Cured makes itself intriguing from the get-go.
Ireland has been ravaged for
years by a zombie outbreak before a cure is found at last. It proves to be ineffective for 25% of the
infected, but the rest have successfully reverted back to being human, and are slowly
integrated back to society.
Interestingly, those cured retain the memories of the time they were still
infected, and are no longer in danger of being attacked by zombies –
the remaining 25% uncured – as they still see them as among their own. However, they are hated by the general public
who deem them responsible for their monstrous actions while they were zombies. As a result, most of them are ostracized and maltreated.
Right from the start, based on the
setup, it’s quite obvious that it will have a powder keg of a plot which explores heavy themes relating to discrimination,
politics, and ethics. And that it does by following the three key characters: Senna (Sam Kelley), a formerly infected young man
tormented by the memories of the terrible deeds he had done; his widowed sister-in-law
Abbie (Ellen Page), who welcomed him to live with her and her son, something he’s
fortunate of getting as it rarely happens to the cured; and his friend Conor
(Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), who was a barrister before he was infected and is now
forced to work as a janitor after his recovery, and who is growing more and
more bitter of how they are being treated.
The narrative moves in a tedious
pace, but the tension does build up until an explosive third-act. But it could have used a bit more excitement
and surprises. Along the way, it can get
moderately thought-provoking. However, it
never becomes as profound as I wished it could be (maybe because I’m
unaware of any intended historical metaphors, if ever it has these). Moreover, the ending
is a tad vague, unfulfilling, and whimper-y for my tastes.
In the end, I think The Cured is a mixed bag.
I was invested from the start, due to its cool premise, and was
engrossed for most of it. The
performances, script, and direction are fairly good. But, as a whole, the film is not notably striking. Now, I wasn’t exactly expecting it to break
ground as a zombie film, but at the very least, I was hoping it would prove to
be as worthwhile as last year’s unique zombie film The Girl with All the Gifts.
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