BLUE MAG

“They Came Back”

The recent news that CBS is going to launch an “hourlong zombie-themed hour” got me thinking about one of the more interesting forays into the zombie sub-genre, a French film called “They Came Back” released in 2004 the same year that brought us the remake of “Dawn of the Dead” and “Shaun of the Dead.”

Now, be warned, this isn’t your typical zombie movie. You won’t find any gore at all in the movie but if you are looking for a unique and different treatment of a familiar genre “They Came Back” is for you.

Writer-director Robin Campillo takes a decidedly European approach to the story of 70 million of the world’s recent dead who suddenly return to life unexplained. He focus on one particular provincial town in France and examines how the return of these dead co-workers, lovers, and children affect the emotional lives of the living. The revived dead are plagued with a form of aphasia, behaving not unlike children learning to walk, talk and process memories for the first time. Much of the film concerns itself with the public ramifications of the returned dead: who pays for them? who takes care of them? should they be allowed to return to work? But it is Campillo’s focus on the personal exchanges between characters and their resurrected loved ones that makes “They Came Back” a truly engaging and moving film.

If you enjoy this film check out “Time Out” which Campillo co-authored. It’s as good if not better.