Handling the Undead
Directed by Thea Hvistendahl // 97 mins // Feature Film
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.
Read our 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival filmmaker Q&A with Thea Hvistendahl!
“The film’s strength lies in its narrative, seamlessly connecting three distinct family dynamics linked by the common thread of loss.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily
“It gets under your skin, making you question how you would react if you could have more time with a lost loved one, even if you knew immediately there would be a cost.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com