We Bury the Dead – Review

In We Bury the Dead, Daisy Ridley finds out that no matter how many Sith you defeat, cut down and slightly disfigure, there's always someone who refuses to stay down.

We Bury the Dead follows Ava Newman, portrayed excellently by Ridley, as she travels to Tasmania in search of her husband, in the aftermath of a chemical weapon that was accidentally deployed by the Americans. Ava and others who are traveling to the island are volunteers tasked with body clean up and every trace of life on the Island was wiped out due an EMP, however for unknown reasons some come back to life.

Ava (Ridley) escapes with her friend she met on the volunteer programme Clay, played by Brenden Thwaites and the search for her husband begins. It is shortly after this moment; we get our first proper run in with the undead and they are very creepy. The movie does an excellent job of keeping the already oversaturated undead fresh, these zombies are different and its welcoming. They give a vibe of that one nightmarish frame from Hereditary (2018) where the grandma is lurking in the corner, like there's more to them than just a ghoul, there's a purpose…the purpose of scaring me into sleeping with the lights on.

After a few encounters it's revealed that a person comes back if they have unfinished business and the more time goes on where they can't get closure, they get more agitated. The film focuses on grief and the weight of unfinished business, showing heartbreaking depictions of how far a person will go to get closure; mirroring Ava's unfinished business with her husband we are only teased with briefly. This made each encounter with the undead feel as sad as they are scary, adding an additional layer of emotion to the horror unfolding; making us ask "who's cutting onions?".

There are some truly haunting moments, showing both survivors and undead alike trying to cope. One sequence with a pregnant zombie, yeah, I know 2025 was a big year for pregnant zombies; stands out as hauntingly beautiful as much as it is intense leading up to the reveal. Seriously when Ava (Ridley) turned the car lights on and revealed the zombie holding her bump in the darkness, it sent shivers down my spine.

By the end of the film Ava (Ridley) finds her Husband, who despite Ava believes should have unfinished business and be back…he doesn't. It is then revealed that Ava cheated on him and he did the same out of spite. The weight of Ava's unfinished business, against her Husband being done with it, strikes a raw and bittersweet nerve. Ava has her closure in the words unspoken, and we the audience have our closure in the form of blurry vision…seriously who is chopping onions?

Ridley turns in a subtle yet gut wrenching performance, showing the true effects of losing someone so unexpectedly to something even more unexpected. From the Beginning Ava (Ridley) shows compassion to the ones who came back, secretly hoping her Husband has. We Bury the Dead offers a truly unique experience, showing that just the zombies can still be reinvented…and make you wince, the teeth grinding was grim, giving me Bring Her Back (2025) flashbacks.

For full reviews, interviews, and festival coverage, visit the Dead Northern Blog.

Blake Reilly