Director of We Bury the Dead Reveals Zombies Were the Final Touch: “Bring Something Fresh or Don’t Bother”
On the surface, We Bury the Dead presents itself as a zombie flick, steeped in post-apocalyptic themes. It follows a woman’s frantic quest to find her husband after an experimental weapon is unleashed in Tasmania, transforming the locals into violent, undead creatures. However, its poignant exploration of loss and unfinished business gives it a ghostly essence.
Writer-director Zak Hilditch admits that the undead were the last addition to the script. “I had no business ever making a zombie movie,” he shares. “I love them, but how do you create something fresh? You need a unique angle, or you might as well step aside. The concept of grief and unfinished business sparked the idea: what if some of these zombies had unresolved issues? Once that clicked, the story took on a whole new life, and I felt we had something special.”
Starring Daisy Ridley, We Bury the Dead centers on Ava, an American physical therapist who journeys to Australia in search of her husband, missing since the weapon’s detonation. Mitch was there for work, but as the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that their separation runs deeper than mere geography.
Ava is acutely aware that if she finds Mitch, he may not be the same man she once knew. As she navigates the chaos in Hobart, Tasmania, she is tasked by the Australian military with disposing of uninfected bodies. During her mission, she meets Clay (Brenton Thwaites), a free spirit who urges her to abandon their duties and venture south to the resort where Mitch was last seen.
“I love stories about everyday people facing extraordinary circumstances,” Hilditch explains. “I’d rather follow a character like Ava, who isn’t a scientist or a soldier. We could have gone the route of a scientist explaining DNA, but that doesn’t interest me. I prefer the every-person grappling with something far beyond their understanding, and this is that concept amplified.”
As Ava and Clay make their way to Woodbridge, Ava confronts the harsh truths of her relationship, realizing that she and Mitch may never resolve their issues. Along the way, they encounter survivors adapting to the island’s new reality in their own unique ways.
Hilditch reveals that the story’s roots lie in his personal experience with grief following his mother’s passing in 2017. “There’s no easy fix for navigating grief,” he reflects. “You have to find your own way. Managing her estate and going through my childhood home was a cathartic experience. It felt strange yet intimate to sift through her belongings. I sensed there was something compelling about that journey, even if I didn’t know how to express it in a film at first.”
“I didn’t want to create a downer of a movie about a guy mourning his mom,” he adds with a smile. “I thought, ‘What can I juxtapose this with?’ Gradually, the themes of grief and the struggle to process it, combined with the imagery of exploring a home and its memories, began to weave together.”
We Bury the Dead is currently showing in US theaters and will be available on Digital HD in the UK on February 2.
