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The Cured
Horror, Thriller
Just when you think the well has run dry for zombie socio-political allegory, writer/director David Freyne comes along with a new twist—although it’s never entirely clear what that allegory is about. This one is set after a zombie apocalypse has run its course, with Ireland recovering from a virus that turns people into homicidal monsters, as a cure has been found that returns 75 percent of the infected to their pre-zombie humanity, albeit with memories of their monstrous selves intact. Senan (Sam Keeley)—one of “the cured”—moves in with his widowed sister-in-law Abbie (Ellen Page) and her son, trying to re-integrate into a society that is hostile and reluctant to forgive. Freyne’s world-building is fairly uneven; he creates unique details like the pack/family dynamic of the infected, but provides limited information about the societal factions that have emerged. Keeley’s haunted performance touches on guilt and rehabilitation, while the premise hits hot buttons about societal fears of the other, and how those oppressed others might respond. There’s simply a general sense that it’s “about something” in lieu of specifics, as it tries to be more thinker than thriller.
Official Site: www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-cured
Director: David Freyne
Producer: Conor Barry, Aidan Elliott, Aaron Farrell, John Keville, Rory Dungan, Rachael O'Kane and Ellen Page
Cast: Ellen Page, Sam Keeley, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Stuart Graham, Peter Campion, Natalia Kostrzewa, Frank Cannon and Lesley Conroy
Director: David Freyne
Producer: Conor Barry, Aidan Elliott, Aaron Farrell, John Keville, Rory Dungan, Rachael O'Kane and Ellen Page
Cast: Ellen Page, Sam Keeley, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Stuart Graham, Peter Campion, Natalia Kostrzewa, Frank Cannon and Lesley Conroy
