| Handling the Undead | |
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 International release poster | |
| Norwegian | Håndtering av udøde |
| Directed by | Thea Hvistendahl |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Pål Ulvik Rokseth |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Peter Raeburn |
| Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Nordisk Film |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Norway |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Box office | $232,281 |
Handling the Undead is a 2024 Norwegian horror mystery film, directed by Thea Hvistendahl from a screenplay by Hvistendahl and John Ajvide Lindqvist, based upon the novel of the same name by Lindqvist. It stars Renate Reinsve, Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bahar Pars and Inesa Dauksta.
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2024, and was released in Norway on 9 February 2024, by Nordisk Film. It won the 2024 Méliès d'Or.
Premise
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Three grieving families find their dead loved ones have returned after an unexplained event occurs.
Mahler who lost his young grandson, Elias, the son of Anna, Mahler’s daughter; David who lost his wife, Eva; and Tora who lost her domestic partner, Elisabet.
David and Eva had two children, Flora and Kian.
Mahler is visiting the grave of his grandson when the event occurs. He passes out and wakes up laying across his grave. He gets a shovel and digs up the coffin to find his grandson alive. He brings the child home, gives him a bath, and puts him to bed. Anna returns from working the night shift and sees the child in his bed. Thinking she has lost touch with reality she wraps her head in Saran Wrap to end her life. She passes out but her father quickly wakes and saves her. Elias has been deceased for some time as he appears to be in an advanced stage of decay with flies always buzzing around him.
David, is at work when he gets a call stating that Eva has been in an accident. By the time he gets to the hospital, she has died. He is allowed to sit in the room with her to grieve. When the event occurs he is sitting beside her bed when she begins breathing again. The hospital is unsure of how Eva has survived and tells David that tests must be run.
Oslo residents wake up to find many of the dead roaming the streets or beating on their buried coffins.
Tora removes Elisabeth’s burial clothes, cleans her, and tries to get her to speak. She tries to feed Elisabet but almost loses a finger when Elisabet aggressively bites down.
All of the resurrected appear to be in a trance and unable to communicate.
Mahler and Anna bring Elias to a cottage away from the city.
David calls the hospital to be told they have no updates on Eva. Flora wakes up at a lover’s home after running to him after hearing of her mother’s accident. He tries to make her feel better by taking her to feed birds and fish.
Tora tries to go on as normal with Elisabet by talking about the flowers they planted and dancing with her. She puts Elisabet to bed and gets in next to her.
David tries to celebrate Kian’s birthday, which was the day after the accident, as he and Eva had planned by giving him a pet rabbit.
Mahler and Anna try to get Elias to play with a toy he used to enjoy but he just stands and looks at it. Anna has noticed that Elias smells like decay. Mahler gets upset and leaves the cottage to go fetch water.
David and the kids board a train to go to the hospital to get updates on Eva. When they arrive they find her sitting alone in a trance like state. David reminds her that it is Kian’s birthday. Kian has brought his bunny to show her. They give her the bunny to hold and she squeezes it to death. They realize that she is not the same as before. Flora even states ‘Mom is dead’ as they are leaving the hospital.
Anna leaves Elias alone while she gathers her thoughts by taking a quick swim. When she returns she sees a decomposing man near the cottage who begins to tap on the window. Mahler returns with water and Anna shows him the man. Mahler attacks the man with a board. The man then attacks Mahler killing him by biting his throat.
Elisabet is seen sitting in the hallway after she has attacked and killed Tora while she slept.
Anna flees the cottage with Elias in a rowboat.
Kian goes in to the forest to bury his bunny. He has a private funeral service. David becomes emotionally overwhelmed with grief at the day’s events.
Anna lays in the rowboat with Elias. She is emotional because she knows Elias is not okay. She tells him she loves him and then gently places him in the water where he sinks in to the water.
Cast
- Renate Reinsve as Anna
- Bjørn Sundquist as Mahler
- Bente Børsum as Tora
- Anders Danielsen Lie as David
- Bahar Pars as Eva
- Inesa Dauksta as Flora
- Kian Hansen as Kian
- Olga Damani as Elisabet
Production
In August 2022, it was announced Renate Reinsve, Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bahar Pars and Inesa Dauksta had joined the cast of the film, with Thea Hvistendahl directing from a screenplay she wrote alongside John Ajvide Lindqvist, based upon the novel of the same name, with Nordisk Film set to distribute in Norway.
Release
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2024. Prior to, Neon acquired US and UK distribution rights to the film. It also screened at the Gothenburg Film Festival on 26 January 2024. It was released in Norway on 9 February 2024.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 68 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "A grounded zombie picture with emotional bite, Handling the Undead shuffles along at a patient pace but succeeds as a poignant and thoughtful addition to the genre." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
References
- "Handling the Undead". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- "Handling the Undead". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- "Handling the Undead and Christophe Gans, Protagonists of the Méliès d'Or Awards Gala". Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- Bałaga, Marta (25 August 2022). "'A Zombie Film Unlike Anything Before': TrustNordisk Picks Up Norway's 'Handling the Undead' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (6 December 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- Grobar, Matt (7 September 2022). "Neon Boards Thea Hvistendahl's Horror-Drama 'Handling The Undead' Starring 'The Worst Person In The World' Breakout Renate Reinsve". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- "Handling the Undead". Gothenburg Film Festival. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- Pham, Annika (9 January 2024). "Göteborg Film Festival Unveils Competition Lineup, Sets Sidse Babett Knudsen Honor and Thierry Fremaux-Ruben Ostlund Conversation". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- "Handling the Undead by Thea Hvistendahl selected for 2024 Sundance Film Festival". Nordisk Film. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- "Handling the Undead". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- "Handling the Undead". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
External links
| John Ajvide Lindqvist | |
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| Works | |
| Adaptations | |
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| Méliès d'Or winning films | |
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