A Zombie Valentine

By Lauren Vadnjal / February 14th, 2012 in Film / California / 187 views

If it’s not even midday and you’re already rolling your eyes at the feed of Valentines love declarations via Facebook (not cute) and you’re cringing at any sight of another rose, love heart or stupid red balloon, then maybe you’ll enjoy a more morbid look on love. This brand new film from production team Sunday / Paper may be featured on Valentines Day, but be sure you can watch without the soppiness of a predictable rom-com.

Rest doesn’t exactly follow any conventions of a ‘love’ story. For one, the protagonist is a zombie–a young American soldier killed in WW1 well before his time. After emerging from the earth, he undertakes a long journey over a vast, treacherous and dark landscape to find his way back to his love, after 90 years.

Filmed in the forests and deserts of California and the streets of NY, the piece encapsulates some very stark emotion—something that seems very personal—and director Cole Schreiber was influenced by the many things happening in his life at the time of writing and filming.

“I was spending quite a bit of time writing and I channeled some of these emotions and themes into the film,” he told us. “My grandfather who was nearly 93 and was married to my grandmother for 60 years was really ill, I was in the midst of traveling a lot, exploring my own thoughts on love and death, and this story developed.”

The whole film is one big macabre moment, which in some way becomes beautiful. The panoramic shots of the intimidating terrain, the long journey, all come down to the final few moments of raw emotion that is harshly sweet. Inspired by a painting by Ivan Albright, Schreiber mixes the elements of a masterpiece and the ghastly to “make something haunting … to temper the sweetness of the film with something dark and grotesque.”

“As much as this is a love story or a story about a sense of place and home, it’s really a story about resolve and determination. I hope the journey of a wayward soul communicates something about what we all have to go through in our pursuit of happiness.”

And no matter how much of a non-romantic you are, the film still resonates as a story of how far we all have to go to find what we’re looking for.