Horror Short – Starring Romeo
Navarro, Fernando Venegas, Alejandra Lemur, Mauricio Islas Bennetts.
Written/Directed by Melvin de Jesus Jimenez Najera (2012)
In Mexico, the zombie apocalypse is
being controlled by a dedicated PAZ (Police Anti Zombie) team, who endeavour to
halt the spread of the pathogen with house to house searches, uncovering any
undead that well meaning relatives are hiding. When PAZ agent Andres (Romeo
Navarro) gets bitten, he tries not to let it effect his ability to do his job.
Requiem
for the Undead is Director Melvin de Jesus Jimenez Najera’s forth film, and
at 12 minutes is his longest. It is a tale of denial, not only Andres’s denial
that he has been infected, but also society and the government’s denial; the
outbreak is not as ‘under control’ as they think. This sense that the zombie
pathogen is permanently on the verge of an upsurge is highlighted by the
absence of music throughout the film. Instead there is a steady rumble and wail
of helicopters, sirens and alarms in the background suggesting a constant,
relentless battle against the zombies.
The
film opens straight into the action, with agent Andres having a run in with a
couple of zombies. Calling for backup that doesn’t arrive, Andres is bitten.
The film then follows Andres as he deals with his life sentence by carrying on
as though nothing has happened. Requiem for the Undead explores what,
for me, makes the heart of any great zombie movie – the powerful relationships
that are formed during an outbreak, focusing on the bond between Andres and his
partner, Manuel (Fernando Venegas).
Mexican
with subtitles, Requiem for the Undead is a convincing and fast paced
film that is extremely well acted, and tightly written. Dialogue is natural and
believable, particularly the banter between Andres and Manuel, suggesting more
than a professional relationship between the two agents. The production values
and special effects are slick, making a highly enjoyable film. The only
criticism I can make is that at 12 minutes the film is over too quickly, and,
with such likeable characters and an interesting slant to the zombie genre, I
can easily imagine Requiem for the Undead as a feature.
5 out of 5
By Lisa Richardson
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE!!
Trailer Réquiem Por Un (No) Muerto from KnockDownFilms on Vimeo.
Requiem for the Undead is
being shown at the following festivals during 2012 -
Shriekfest – Los Angeles www.shriekfest.com
Pollygrind Underground Film
Festival – Las Vegas www.pollygrind.com
Atlanta Horror Film Festival atlantahorrorfilmfest.com
Feratum Film Festival – Tlalpuhaua, Mexico www.feratumfilmfest.com
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