Review: Dead (2020)

If the idea of a stoner version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) appeals to you, then new comedy, Dead, from director Hayden J. Weal may well be exactly what you are after.

As per usual, the country of origin for a film such as this is New Zealand, who seem to revel in creating off-beat comedies with unusual setups.  Here, the plot revolves around Dane ‘Marbles’ Marbeck (Thomas Sainsbury – Alien Addiction, Wellington Paranormal, Guns Akimbo), who works as a freelance medium.  Having lost his Father, he accidentally creates a substance using his Father’s pills, that allows him to see ghosts. He then uses this skill to help people by letting the ghosts make peace before moving on.  This easy-going lifestyle of getting stoned and chatting to ghosts gets interrupted by the appearance of Police officer Tagg (Hayden J. Weal – Hang Time, Chronesthesia), or rather the ghost of Tagg.

The somewhat agitated Tagg is insistent that Marbles help him solve his own murder, along with several others committed by the same person.  Although resistant. Marbles is persuaded to help after Tagg promises to get him his life insurance money which will help Marbles buy the family farm.  After getting the first bit of evidence though, the duo become a trio, as Tagg brings his sister Yana (Tomai Ihaia – Find Me a Maori Bride) into the fold, as she has been working on the case whilst being under house arrest.  Between them they try to figure out the mystery.

The basic setup is similar to many things we’ve seen before, and there are a number of scenes in Dead where there is the sense of familiarity.  What’s interesting is that the delivery has been played with though, and they are fully aware of the common elements in the dialogue.  There are small twists, such as Marbles inability to say certain words that change the tenor of the conversations with the ghosts, that make it feel different.  Marbles himself is not your typical stoner either, and this doesn’t come across like your generic US B-movie comedy.  It would have been all too easy to make him a Cheech and Chong style figure, but instead they go for a much more introverted office type, which ultimately works much better.

Essentially, Dead works as a buddy comedy, with Tagg being the driving force pushing Marbles to act.  As you would expect, they are vastly different personalities, and at the beginning they approach each other differently, with Marbles being the timid laidback character, and Tagg the brusque, assertive one.  Their rapport actually has a nice development arc in here too, as they start to find common ground. Tagg especially becomes warmer and more open.  This is partly a by-product of Marbles meeting his sister and her influence on the pair of them, but also a gradual respect and friendship as the film unfolds.

The central pairing of Sainsbury and Weal work extremely well together, and they make an enjoyable duo.  There is a certain deadpan nature to this though that may mean that some find it difficult to engage with.  You definitely have to allow the weirder, and sillier elements to live happily alongside the heartfelt serious moments, otherwise you may find you do not get the most out of it.  It is undoubtedly a mishmash of genre concepts, but there are some nice ideas, and a more substantial plot under the surface that you do not quite expect.  Dead quite happily holds its own amongst the rest of New Zealand’s quirky comedies, and is definitely worth a look.

Dead will be available to stream online, from the 27th October.