Film: Opstandelsen
Running time: 50 mins
Director: Casper Haugegaard
Starring: Marie Frohmé Vanglund, Mads Althoff, Jonas Bjørn-Andersen, Roxanne Tirkov, Hans Maaløe
Genre: Action/Drama/Horror
Country: Denmark
This film was screened at the Grimm Up North Film Festival in October 2010.
Not many people these days will say ‘no’ to a zombie movie. This is partly because they are now so popularised and watered down that anyone can handle them. It would seem everyone is jumping on the zombie bandwagon, as Hollywood studios churn out countless identical zombie films, a cinematic parody of zombies themselves: vacant husks of films that never truly live, but still continue to play and spread like a disease through video stores and cinemas everywhere. Opstandelsen (or The Resurrection) is different. It is a new breed of fast paced, purebred modern zombie film that has much to offer the jaded viewer. So, no surprise to discover that it won the award for Best Low Budget Film at the Grimm Up North Festival this Halloween.
The story starts with a family who have gathered in church for the funeral of Simon. However, it isn't long before the dead are rising from their graves - and feasting upon the mourners.
Simon’s two brothers, Peter and Johannes, fight for survival, trying to escape the horde of living dead that chase them through the churches catacombs, whilst, at the same time, facing up to the issues they have with each other…
Only a country as liberal as Denmark could produce a zombie film that’s shot on location in a real church - and have the real life church’s vicar play himself! This film, being set in a church, features tons of religious symbolism, which will no doubt anger church groups around the world. For some, the very idea that such evil could penetrate holy ground is blasphemy. However, there is a bit where a cross is picked up and used, axe fashion, to fight off zombies. Surely this holy weapon’s effectiveness is a testament if anything to the power of divinity and faith?
Although I think any such discussion is a moot point, since this is very much a postmodern movie, which isn’t trying to be clever beyond the point of its face value and aesthetics. It simply presents genre fans with a great premise, which they are usually denied: ZOMBIES IN A CHURCH!
As you can imagine, this leads on to lots of gory moments which are pulled off brilliantly. The initial kick off during the funeral is very intense and nothing less than a bloodbath. One particular gory highlight is when a man gets trapped under a door that is barged down by a crowd of the undead. This is perhaps a reference to Romero’s original Day Of The Dead, where a very similar scenario arises, although, impressively, this particular sequence manages to top even Romero by conjuring a horrific yet prolonged death.
Being only fifty minutes in duration and full of action, there is little time for a complex plot in Opstandelsen. However, characterisation is still present, and develops through the back story of the two brothers. One is a drug addict, who has caused the family much grief in the past, and being thrust into this heavily confining situation forces them to settle their feud, which proves to be too great to be put aside. Mads Althoff and Jonas Bjørn-Andersen both manage the action and the family drama capably, with some truly touching moments of fraternal bonding.
When asked why the film was only fifty minutes in length, director Casper Haugegaard explained, “We didn’t plan it that way, we just had a script to shoot and we shot it. Fifty minutes is what came out.” This unusual running time has caused the film some issues when being shown at festivals, since it is neither a short nor a feature. However, the relentless pace of the movie would be difficult to maintain for a full feature without it becoming tedious, and there is too much to cover to fit in to a shorter movie. Fifty minutes really is the happy medium in this case.
The film achieves the rapid pace and claustrophobic atmosphere by several means. Some may compare Opstandelsen to The Blair Witch Project, due to its heavy use of hand-held camera. In fact, the camera is constantly in motion throughout the film. As much a stylistic choice as a result of shooting entirely on location, there are few long shots. Most of the footage is very close and restrictive, giving rise to a rational fear of that which is off camera. Every sound makes us want to look around and check for danger - we feel we are watching from our own POV as the suspension of disbelief takes hold.
Unlike most zombie films, the editing style is almost entirely montage. At times, the edits fly thick and fast, particularly when the action warrants it. When our heroes are at rest (as much as they can be given the situation), the edits are more sparse, leaving us with lingering ‘calm before the storm’ moments. The editing almost replicates the heartbeats of the characters on screen, drawing us in to share their state of mind.
The other element at play is the lighting, which varies greatly from brightly lit white walled rooms to dark dingy tunnels with very minimal lighting. The terror is either perfectly illuminated, or left to our imaginations to fill in the gaps. With these two, approaches working in tandem, as well as the rapid editing and tight, claustrophobic camerawork, there is little rest for the viewer.
If you like your zombie films to be true horror films that scare, excite, thrill and disgust then this is the film for you. If you feel that mainstream horror lets you down time and time again, always falling short of the adventure you sat down for, and sitting on the fence instead of getting in your face and challenging you, then Opstandelsen is your saviour. If you’re not that bothered about such things, then it’s pretty cool because it has zombies in a church! DOB
I must see this... RIGHT NOW!!! xD
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