#thea hvistendahl

[gael-garcia]

Handling the Undead (2024), dir. Thea Hvistendahl

[artfilmfan]

Handling the Undead (Thea Hvistendahl, 2024)

[sesiondemadrugada]

Handling the Undead (Thea Hvistendahl, 2024).

[oldfilmsflicker]

new-to-me #142 - Håndtering av udøde (Handling the Undead)

[creepynostalgy]

Håndtering Av Udøde aka Handling The Undead (2024)

[higherentity]

[trendfilmsetter]

First look at NEON’s HANDLING THE UNDEAD directed by Thea Hvistendahl.

Starring Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielson Lie

The film follows three families who are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them.

Releasing in theaters May 31st

[fearsmagazine]

HANDLING THE UNDEAD - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: NEON

SYNOPSIS: In the sweltering heat of a summer in Oslo, the deceased unexpectedly awaken, plunging three families into disarray as their beloved departed ones return. Questions arise about their identities and intentions. One family grapples with the resurrection of their mother, a sudden revival before they had the chance to grieve her tragic passing in a car accident. On the same day she buries her soulmate, an elderly woman is reunited with the love of her life. In a desperate attempt to alleviate his daughter’s depression, a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the clutches of the grave.

REVIEW: John Ajvide Lindqvist's literary career took off with the publication of his debut novel, "Let the Right One In," in Sweden in 2004. This acclaimed work was later adapted into a film with the same title, released in 2008. In 2010, an American remake of the film was produced, followed by an American television series that premiered on Showtime in 2022.

John Ajvide Lindqvist's second novel, "Handling the Undead," was released in 2005, followed by a short story collection in 2006 entitled "Let the Old Dreams Die." One of the tales in this collection was set in the same universe as “Let the Right One In” and one in “Handling the Undead.”

As a fervent admirer of the film "Let the Right One In," I was immediately drawn to the novel when an English translation became available. When I learned that English translations of "Handling the Undead" and "Let the Old Dreams Die" were released in the United Kingdom, I promptly acquired my personal editions.

As someone who grew up on the George Romero zombie canon and its subsequent impact on the genre, I found John Ajvide Lindqvist's take on the subject to be both engaging and refreshing. The narrative was primarily driven by the experiences of various families and the government's response to the unfolding crisis. He crafted a new contemporary metaphor in relation to what the undead represent to social structures and family dynamics.

The film's narrative is significantly less substantive from the novel, focusing more on the reactions of three families to the reanimation of their deceased loved ones. The cause of the undead rising is altered, and much of the dialogue and character development is simplified. The first 8 ½ minutes of the film features no spoken dialogue, except for musical lyrics, and little throughout the entirety of the film. A key element of the novel is the silent return of the dead to specific locations, presented in various states of decay. The film briefly explores the living coming to terms with the undead, their actions and little else. While the novel's events span several weeks, the film portrays them as occurring over a couple of days. Having read the novel, I noticed significant omissions in the adaptation that diminished its impact. Certain changes made to the storyline were a disservice to the novel and, consequently, weakened the film's overall effect. By the end of the film, the living characters appear as lifeless as the undead.

The film primarily relies on ambience created by masterful cinematography, sound design, and score. It employs a dark, cold visual style with a limited color palette. Tight framing dominates, except for a few wide shots that showcase the cemetery and hospital after the undead arrive. The film features few costume changes, which contributes to its lack of sense of passing time. The score is sparingly used and is often integrated with the sound design. I found the makeup design for the undead particularly impressive, as it achieves a realistic and organic look. The editing instills energy into the film, maintaining viewer engagement throughout its 97-minute runtime.

The cast was remarkable, conveying emotions primarily through facial expressions and body language due to limited dialogue. Bahar Pars, a talented actress, delivers a memorable scene toward the film's end, leaving a lasting impact with its intensity. Dennis Østby Ruud, a promising young actor, shines in his performance, as do the actresses portraying the elderly couple. Despite the limited material provided, the entire cast showcased their abilities admirably.

In her feature film debut, HANDLING THE UNDEAD, director Thea Hvistendahl presents a meditative exploration of grief and loss, capturing the impossible desire to turn the past into the present. The film immerses us in a profound sense of sorrow right from the start, and by the end, leaves a lingering feeling of hopelessness. While the film attempts to convey the emotional weight of the story, it falls short in comparison to John Ajvide Lindqvist's original novel. The film lacks depth in terms of character development and emotional range, making it difficult to fully appreciate the author's achievements in the novel. Despite its limitations, the film may still pique your curiosity, leading you to seek out Lindqvist's compelling and complex novel.

CAST: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, Dennis Østby Ruud, & Inesa Dauksta. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Thea Hvistendahl; Screenplay - John Ajvide Lindqvist; Based on the novel of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist; Producers - Kristin Emblem & Guri Neby; Cinematographer - Pål Ulvik Rokseth; Score - Peter Raeburn; Editors - Trude Lirhus & Thomas Grotmol; Production Designer - Linda Janson; Costume Designer - Bente Ulvik; Sound Designers - Bent Holm, Andreas Franck, & Nils Viken; Make-up Effect Designer - Morten Jacobsen; VFX Supervisor - Otto Thorbjørnsen; SFX - Fiksern / Christopher Munthe. OFFICIAL: neonrated.com/films/handling-the-undead FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/GFP8HtM8JTo?si=AO4gfwWZGXCjhQd- RELEASE DATE: Exclusively IFC Center NY May 31st & select cities June 7th, 2024.

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[gebo4482]

HANDLING THE UNDEAD - Official Trailer

Dir: Thea Hvistendahl Star: Renate Reinsve / Anders Danielsen Lie / Bjørn Sundquist

[letterboxd-loggd]

Handling the Undead (Håndtering av udøde) (2024) Thea Hvistendahl

June 27th 2024

[1day1movie]

Håndtering av udøde (Handling the Undead) (2024) Thea Hvistendahl.

[otakunoculture]

People Have to be Deliberately Slow When Treating, if Not Handling the Undead. As There's No Advice In How to Do So

In Handling the Undead, There's Words of Wisdom to Live By

Playing in select theatres beginning June 7th (please check local listings) I’m not entirely sure if Judgment Day has come in Thea Hvistendahl‘s genuinely creepy film, Handling the Undead. Unlike other zombie films where they’re treated as the villain or just creatures of happenstance, here, they don’t attack the living. Instead, they simply linger. They exist in the last place they knew as…

[jmunneytumbler]

'Handling the Undead' Offers a Meditative Scandinavian Spin on the Zombie Genre

'Handling the Undead' Offers a Meditative Scandinavian Spin on the Zombie Genre

Can you handle it (Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Pål Ulvik Rokseth) Starring: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, Inesa Dauksta Director: Thea Hvistendahl Running Time: 97 Minutes Rating: Unrated (with PG-13-Level Slow-Burn Terror) Release Date: May 31, 2024 (IFC Center in New York City)/June 7, 2024 (Select Cities) What’s It About?: A woman…

[dynamofilms]

Håndtering av udøde/Handling the Undead (2024)

7/10

[anhed-nia]

HANDLING OF THE UNDEAD (Hanteringen av odöda)

There's a certain common experience of comic awkwardness--actually there's even a Mr. Show sketch about it, if I remember correctly--where, after bidding a sincere farewell to someone at the end of an enjoyable night out, you make the unfortunate realization that you're both walking the same way home. Emotionally you are both somewhere else now, "the night" is conceptually over, and now you're trapped together without a script. Although Thea Hvistendahl's feature debut HANDLING THE UNDEAD probably has nothing else in common with Mr. Show, they both ask this same basic question about closure and the persistence of the past. The film concerns three families of the recently re-animated; there's a sort of will they/won't they tension regarding the obvious question of whether these zombies will behave in the traditional manner, but the focus is more strongly on the emotional problem of accepting that things will never again be as they once were.

I think this film is really going to do it for modern horror fans who have come to expect direct explorations of tough topics like grief and trauma. For me personally, I found it highly competent, but a little flat; yes, it is sad, it is VERY sad, it is VERY, VERY SAD, and what more can one really expect? At my screening director Hvistendahl was available for questions, and she candidly confessed that she didn't have any personal experiences with grief to which she could refer--a fact that had no impact on the amount of sniffling in the audience. She inherited the project from others, after a few false starts over the last decade; it is adapted from a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, better known for LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, and the writer really did have a powerful reference point for grief. According to Hvistendahl his father was literally defaced in a hideous boating accident and, despite the warnings of morgue workers, he insisted on viewing the body. The filmmaker says that her own reference points lay outside her life; that she drew inspiration from others who'd had closer encounters with death.

Personally, I started thinking about people I've known who died early in the film, and then I just couldn't stop. I wondered what would happen if various people came back. The basic assumption might be that it's usually desirable to have somebody back, if you missed them. But I feel like things are likely to be more complicated, especially if the living have already gone some distance through the grieving process--potentially accessing feelings that were too hard to face during the deceased's lifetime.

I thought about a much-admired friend, somebody who was kind of my hero and who was adored by everyone who knew her, who killed herself. The main initial reaction among her closest loved ones was rage. People were so, SO angry with her for leaving them, or not allowing them to save her, or maybe for forcing them to feel as sad and lonely as she felt, or for whatever other things seem to piss people off so much about suicide. I don't know what would happen if she came back to life. I mean probably a lot of people would lay down their arms and try to be grateful, but who knows. That kind of really personal anger can be hard to come back from.

I also thought about a couple I know well, the wife was extremely well-loved by many people, all of whom were devastated when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The painful, protracted illness made the loss all the more awful, and it fell to her surviving family members to preserve and sort of reenact her memory for everyone else. But the reality was that things were not so perfect at home--not to suggest anything really dark, but the couple would have been divorced had she survived. So then she died and her widower was left holding the proverbial bag; he could never have the personal satisfaction of separating from someone who was not right for him, and criticizing her would be unthinkable. If she came back to life...sure, they might divorce, but it's just as likely that he would suffer public pressure to honor and keep her in a more extreme way than usual for the rest of his life.

Finally I thought about a friend of mine who was murdered. I watch a lot of slasher movies, and whenever I hear the criticism that horror lovers must all be desensitized or delusional about real violence, I think about this person who was senselessly killed by a random psychopath at her sister's wedding. It shattered our circle of friends and I cannot imagine what it did to her family, especially her sister. I mean even if they were to do another wedding, it would be impossible not to think of the murder the second time. It would be permanently associated with the new couple. It's hard to even wrap your mind around all the effects of this event. In this case--setting aside the problems of zombies, which I have left out of my meditation--I can only think that having my friend back really would fix things for everyone.

So maybe ultimately I'm saying that HANDLING THE UNDEAD would be a more interesting movie if the losses in it were a bit more complicated in some way. However, I can't ask one film to be all things to all people, and surprise is a particularly difficult thing to achieve. But if you like John Ajvide Lindqvist and you want to be surprised, I strongly advise you to watch BORDER. You will see some stuff in there that you will never see anywhere else in your life, and it probably won't bum you out too much.