Grace Glowicki’s Dead Lover pulses with the energy of your favorite punk song. It’s fast, plays by its own rules, and wears its DIY bonafides on its sleeve. This is all to say that Dead Lover may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the people who can groove with it are going to love it.
Glowicki stars as Gravedigger, a lonely woman who reeks of the corpses that surround her as she digs graves. A chance encounter brings love the Gravedigger’s way, only for her lover to meet an untimely end soon after. Then she tries to bring him back to life and the fun really begins.
Dead Lover is the kind of movie that gets by on sheer force of will. The cast, including Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, and Lowen Morrow, all play multiple roles, Glowicki directs the script she co-wrote with Petrie. Everyone’s wearing so many hats that it becomes increasingly amusing to see the same faces popping up over and over in new costumes. And the cast is Going For It at all times. It’s an utter delight to watch everyone bounce off each other in one ridiculous scenario after another.
Despite its lo-fi trappings, Dead Lover is visually striking all the way through. The film has a black box theater aesthetic, and cinematographer Rhayne Vermette lights the hell out of their set. The contrast between the black of the background and the colors of the minimalist sets is breathtaking at times. The film was shot on 16mm, which gives the film a lived-in and tangible feel. There’s a depth to the imagery within the small spaces they’re working with.
At a brisk 83 minutes, Dead Lover moves along quickly and maintains its momentum all the way through. Something this aggressively silly, horny, and imaginative thrives with the breakneck pacing, creating an exhilarating “what’s going to happen next” tone. With Dead Lover being only her second feature, the potential of what comes next for Glowicki is exciting.
