Fast sell:
Evoking George A. Romero at his best, The Cured is a smart zombie film that will get you thinking, even as it scares the living daylights out of you. The tight storytelling, expert direction and captivating performances all hinge around one central question that’s never been asked before: when the zombie outbreak is over, what does it mean to be one of the cured?
Key talent:
Ellen Page (Juno, Inception, Hard Candy, X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Sam Keeley (Anthropoid, Burnt)
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (The Infiltrators, TV’s Trial of the Century)
Paula Malcomson (The Hunger Games films, TV’s Ray Donovan)
Synopsis:
Years after Europe was ravaged by the Maze virus, transforming people into cannibalistic monsters, a cure is finally found. Senan Browne (Sam Keeley) is haunted by what he did while infected. As he returns to the home of his brother’s widow, Abbie (Ellen Page), fear and suspicion threaten to plunge the world back into chaos.
We like it because:
It’s been a long time since a zombie film got us this excited. With an impressive debut from director David Freyne, The Cured succeeds in being more than just another zombie film and calls to mind landmark hits in the genre such as Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later.
Rather than focusing on the outbreak itself, writer-director David Freyne sets his sights on what happens after a solution has been found. In this case, what do you do if you had a zombie infection, committed all manner of atrocities, were cured but you can remember everything? Could you live with yourself? Would your family take you back or cast you out? How would society treat you? What would happen if it all started over again? It also ominously asks, if 75% of the infected have been cured, what do you do with the remaining 25% who can’t be?
Set in Ireland and written against the backdrop of the European bailouts and protests as well as the Zika virus, The Cured is a timely, intelligent genre movie that stays current as tensions once again rise across the continent.
Featuring a standout performance from Ellen Page as the sister-in-law of a newly cured zombie, The Cured marks Freyne as a filmmaker to watch.
Hot quotes:
“pulls off a fresh take on zombie terrain.”- Variety
“Heartbreaking, compelling, terrifying”- Globe and Mail
“a genre film to beat in 2018 “- RogerEbert.com
“flashes of ear-shattering violence…classic jump-out-of-your-seat moments” – The Hollywood Reporter
“a compelling narrative”- **** Bloody Disgusting
“uses the zombie mythos as Romero intended” – Dread Central
“a novel take on an age old favorite [genre]”- Ain’t It Cool News
“a fantastic set up for an unorthodox zombie thriller…an engaging, thoughtful addition to the growing subgenre”- Collider
“Visceral, gripping, and markedly intelligent… brilliant central performances.” – **** UK Film Review