DVD Review: The Living and The Dead
The Living and the Dead (2007)
Studio: TLA Releasing
DVD Release Date: March 25, 2008
Directed By: Simon Rumley
Cast: Roger Lloyd-Pack, Leo Bill, Kate Fahy
Brutal As Hell Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Review By: Marc Patterson
Ex-Lord Donald Brocklebank (Roger Lloyd-Pack) is on the verge of financial ruin. His estate is literally falling apart, his wife is terminally ill, and his grown son has suffered from a lifetime of mental illness. When he must leave his home for a business trip he leaves his wife and son in the care of a nurse. Once Donald has left, his son James (Leo Bill) feels that he is capable of being the man of the house, locks the nurse out, and decides to care for his mother himself. A nightmarish downward spiral ensues catapulting this tense piece to a horrifying climax.
The Living and the Dead was a magnificent piece of British cinema that could quite easily fly under the radars of large horror viewing audience here in the US, but I would beg that it not. While not perfect in every way, the film is undeniably well constructed, with a well written script, and directed by a highly competent director. And all backed by a terrific and talented cast.
The small cast of actors was superbly cast, and nothing short of astounding in each role. Leo Bill fully committed himself to the role of James, bringing a sharp and accurate portrayal of mental illness bordering the lines of insanity. It was a shame that so many surrealistic cinematic effects were used to accent his decay into insanity. With a bit more delicacy the director might have been able to showcase this in Bill’s poignant acting. Equally outstanding was Roger Lloyd-Pack and Kate Fahy, who played his wife. Lloyd-Pack did a wonderful job portraying the unconditionally loving and caring father and husband, despite the fact his world is crumbling apart around him. Watching these three interact together on screen was truly the glue that held this piece together. And while they made the film a pleasure to watch, it was also quite riveting given the subject matter and the tragedy of the story itself.
Minimalistic in its approach, The Living and the Dead is an extremely dark drama about a very real illness, in a tragically sad situation. It would be wrong to simplify the film by tossing it in the bin of casual horror films. This is an unbearably tense drama is a brutally dark piece of insanity that will keep you on the edge of your seat in quite uncomfortable suspense until the credits roll.
