Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Nicholas Prattes, Andre Hendges, Neusa Maria Faro
Intro:
...a modern interpretation of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom.
Student David (Nicholas Prattes) seems to the butt of a lot of jokes in his class. Bespectacled and clinging on to his camcorder like a security blanket, he looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. And if Norman Bates has taught us anything, it’s not to trust people who go out of their way not to hurt flies.
Directed by first timer Diego Freitas, My Dead Ones is a Brazilian horror/thriller that, at times, acts like a modern interpretation of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom.
Seemingly with no family, David’s apathy to his bullies is shown to be a mask when we see him using online fraud to charge an expensive new digital camcorder to one of his tormentor’s bank accounts. Aside from petty theft, when he falls head over heels for his classmate, Jonatas (Andre Hendges), something else seems to awaken in David.
He takes to recording his elderly neighbour, Maria (Neusa Maria Faro) and having had his fill of that, takes her life, before uploading the footage to the Dark Web. Like dancing to WAP on TikTok, David’s crime goes viral and, with his face blurred in the footage, he relishes listening to people talk about his handiwork. Meanwhile, Maria’s death is not the end of the actress’ role and the OAP becomes a spirit guide to the young David, encouraging him to dig into his past and, ultimately, kill more people. Something which David is all too happy to do, whilst balancing his love life with Jonatas.
While the film aims for a dreamlike quality in some scenes, My Dead Ones feels unnecessarily nebulous. Not everything makes sense to begin with and that’s deliberate. The film is clearly leading to a big reveal, with David’s hallucinations interfering with his day to day life. Unfortunately, the film’s slow pacing can have you feeling impatient to skip to the end.
Having someone like David as your protagonist means asking the audience to be a wilful participant to his crimes. David is no Patrick Bateman, and his lack of charm or wit makes for a slightly forgettable killer. Of course, no one is suggesting a serial killer should be someone you want to emulate, but you can feel so indifferent to David, you almost forgive his bullies for breaking his camera at the start of the film.
There’s a lot to like in My Dead Ones, but when the interesting premise about internet fame is pushed to one side in favour of mysterious flashbacks and twisty twists, it leads to a finale that ends on a whimper rather than a bang.
