FrightFest 2014: Life After Beth Review

Director: Jeff Baena.

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, Matthew Gray Gubler, Anna Kendrick.

Certificate: TBC.

Running Time: 91 minutes.

Synopsis: Zach (DeHaan) is devastated by the death of his girlfriend Beth (Plaza). That is until she turns up alive and well. Beth’s parents (Reilly & Shannon), are in denile about teh whole issue but Zach suspects she could very well be a zombie. As Beth and Zach start to patch up their relationship, something is turning rotten.

More romantic comedy antics featuring zombies arrives in the form of LIFE AFTER BETH. I’m always a sucker for a film with a pun in the title, and that title should let you know that this isn’t a serious affair. But is this a zombie film with romance or a romance film with zombies? Personally I’d go for the latter. The posters depict the profiles of stars Plaza and DeHaan, without much of a hint of the undead attributes to follow. It’s a rather refreshing spin on things and joins an ever growing genre of films along with WARM BODIES.

DeHaan plays Zach, a young man coming to terms with the death of his girlfriend Beth (Plaza), but upon seeing her still walking around her family home, he discovers she has come back from the dead having lost some of her memory. The dead returning without malicious intentions is something that was covered in THEY CAME BACK, but LIFE AFTER BETH does well to add an unfathomable twist of light comedy to proceedings. John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon are excellent as Beth’s parents, and clearly evoke the happiness and joy, but also confusion, of having their daughter returned to them. Meanwhile, DeHaan questions outright whether or not she is a flesheating zombie, and his interactions and cautiousness create many a humorous moment.

The film is equally about coming to terms with death as well as it is a metaphor for relationships. DeHaan struggles with how he remembers the last few weeks of his relationship with Beth, flopping back and forth between whether he remembers the good or the bad. Plaza’s transformation into a zombie of the more classic variety also symbolises the decomposing relationship, as her joy at being with DeHaan turns violently into jealousy, suspicion, and needy tendencies. It’s a young romance surmised within a few days, and gradually becomes a heartbreaking account of how people enter our lives and the effects they have.

DeHaan gives a brilliant comedic performance, throwing away any villainous hint of CHRONICLE or THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2. He breaks down emotionally as Plaza’s Beth breaks down physically and there’s something real and emotional about his attempts to keep Beth alive and in the now. Plaza too is absolutely perfect in her role. She’s lovable but volatile, turning from a sweet and passionate lover, to a car wrecking emotional time bomb. By the time she hits full zombie status, she able to deliver single words to a reaction of loud laughter. Her childish behaviour and frustration at being both dead and alive is, once again, funny and painful.

Although a lovely romantic piece with excellent performances, this is a film where you just want more. This is both a good and a bad thing, as we have an idea that isn’t fully explored. The film has a basic idea but gets into teh swing of things far too quickly to be truly relatable. We never see Beth and Zach before Beth dies, giving us less time to connect and understand their true feelings. Was this ever a relationship that could have worked, dead or not? We’re unsure. In the last act the film has to take on a broader scope, as other people return from the dead and the world plunges into chaos. This might be needed to pad out the running time, but it’s also a less fulfilling distraction. Like THEY CAME BACK wasn’t truly realised until its TV adaptation THE RETURNED, LIFE AFTER BETH may have life after LIFE AFTER BETH.

A fun and bittersweet tale for those who can stomach a bit of gore and and nauseating cuteness, LIFE AFTER BETH is a film that brings forward some truly great rising talents. Highly likable, the film may not be the biggest challenge in the world, but it does what it says out to do perfectly. This is a great debut for Baena, who shows he can handle teen romance, comedy, and horror too.