Think zombie movies have been done to death? Think again. French writer/director Robin Campillo has taken the genre in a new direction with They Came Back, a completely bloodless look at what would happen if the recently deceased came back from the dead.
The movie wastes no time getting to the point. The opening credits show the dead simply walking out of the cemetery, looking as if they’d just returned from a cruise vacation. They’re smiling and look relaxed. No shuffling, drooling zombies here. The film centers on the events in a small city in France, although we later learn that the dead are awakening elsewhere too.
The mayor (Victor Garrivier) calls a meeting of the town’s dignitaries to plan a method of dealing with the sudden population increase. It’s determined that the “returnees”, as they’re called, should be housed in a Red Cross center until such time as they can be assimilated back into society. They seem to be suffering from symptoms not too far removed from receiving a concussion. The plan is to eventually get them reunited with their families, if permitted, while researching their behavior to see what, if anything, can be determined about the reasons for their return.
They Came Back is really not a zombie film as much as it is a look at how human beings deal with life and death. What if our theories of “closure” were suddenly torn asunder and we had to rethink everything we thought we knew about the finality of death? Although the thought of having to deal with the return of someone who was thought gone forever might be horrible or unnerving, the film itself is not scary — at least, not in the conventional way.
While the description might attract horror fans, the film itself will probably turn them off. It’s slow-paced and not very action-oriented but, because it takes the time to mull its subject matter’s philosophical ramifications, that’s probably for the best. They Came Back also doesn’t even try to explain why the dead suddenly return but that’s probably for the best as well.
It’s definitely not a must-see movie, but They Came Back is certainly an interesting take on an idea that’s been around for a long time. Worth seeing if you like your movies to think outside the box from time-to-time.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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