Didn’t Die
Vinitia (Kiran Deol) is a cynical podcast/radio host that travels the country with her younger brother, Rish (Vishal Vijayaumar), recording 100 episodes of a show that aims to tell listeners how things are going during a zombie apocalypse. The zombies (or "biters") lumber around and eat people in classic zombie fashion, but essentially go to sleep when the sun is out, making things relatively safe for half of the day. However, Rish discovers that the biters are starting to adapt and show signs of life during the daytime as well, making it slowly inevitable that it soon won't be safe anywhere at any time. You'll forgive me if I read all of this as an allegory for America's current social and political situation, as the more unsavory elements of the population used to be relegated to the shadows, but have been encouraged as of late to spread their hate in broad daylight, as it were. As such, things are becoming increasingly hostile everywhere, so Vinitia and her family, including her older brother Hari (Samrat Chakrabarti) and his doting wife Barbara (Katie McCuen), seem happy to avoid going into the world altogether, and hunker down in solitude to just wait things out. Sounds familiar, especially after COVID.
Vinitia claims she's doing her podcast to bring people together, and is constantly advertising an in-person meet-up for her 100th episode, hoping to gather people in numbers to increase safety and foster some kind of sense of community. She also bristles at the thought of settling into isolation like her older brother, who is in turn annoyed at how casually Vinitia wanders out into a dangerous world.
The movie turns on its head with the introduction of Vinitia's ex-boyfriend Vincent (George Basil), who rescued a baby after her parents were mauled. Vincent is clearly not ready or willing to raise the baby himself, which leads him to basically hand the baby off to Vinitia and her family, who aren't really enthused by the prospect either. A baby in this world is an extreme handicap, needing to be fed and protected when food and safety are in limited supply.
It's here where the movie slows to a crawl, as Vinitia and Vincent start to reconnect, while Hari and Barbara start to warm to the idea of raising the baby. There are a number of shots of the little family unit hanging out, eating, laughing, relaxing, starting to enjoy life. Life had previously been about simply surviving, but the baby introduced the possibility of something more, even if it requires taking a risk. This is all well and good, but for about 30 minutes, the movie becomes essentially an overextended montage of a family starting to form, lulling the viewer to sleep with gentle music and scenic black-and-white photography.
By the end, things eventually explode into zombie chaos, as it was always going to, and it is touching to see the family defend itself and each other, drawing courage and strength from their shared bond. It's a nice message that gives some pathos to the otherwise straight-forward zombie attack, but the movie could've used a jolt a lot earlier and often.
Meera Menon ("Ms. Marvel", "Equity") has provided an adequate enough spin on the zombie genre to feel somewhat fresh, but she slightly overdoes it in her attempt to focus on the deeper human themes of connection and community. It's a frustratingly languid movie with some relevant and interesting ideas that get lost in the shuffle.
