Neon has released the trailer for ‘Handling the Undead,’ starring Renate Reinsve. The film follows three families thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones inexplicably return. Watch the trailer below.
The film, written and directed by Thea Hvistendahl, is based on a screenplay she co-wrote with John Ajvide Lindqvist, adapted from Lindqvist’s novel of the same name.
What is the Plot of Handling the Undead?
On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression. Handling the Undead is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can’t comprehend or control.
In the film, Reinsve stars as Anna, with Bjørn Sundquist portraying Mahler, Bente Børsum as Tora, Anders Danielsen Lie as David, Bahar Pars as Eva, Inesa Dauksta, Kian Hansen as Kian, and Olga Damani as Elisabet.
Produced by Kristin Emblem and Guri Neby, the film is a collaboration between Einar Film, Zentropa, Norwegian Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Film i Väst, and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. According to Sundance reports, “Handling the Undead is a visually expansive experience, full of arresting images and subtle performances that collapse the space between the living and the dead. Director Hvistendahl’s steady directorial hand leaves her characters room to breathe, to mediate the moral gray area, letting the minutiae of grief lead them as they feel their way through an extraordinary circumstance. Hvistendahl’s interpretation of Lindqvist’s novel addresses daunting questions about the body, the soul, loss, and moving on, pushing viewers to get to the root of reanimation: What would you do, and how would you feel, if someone you loved returned?”
The film debuts exclusively on May 31, 2024, at IFCCenter in NYC, with an expansion to select cities on June 7.
Source: YouTube
