Scream Stream: With The Dead Don’t Die writer-director Jim Jarmusch presents social commentary with a slice of zombie horror

Jarmusch is not trying to subvert the zombie apocalypse trope, it’s just a means to talk about racism, consumerism and the shitty face of the US of A under former President Trump.

A still from The Dead Don't Die | YouTube

When you first watch the trailer of The Dead Don’t Die, you’d think it's no different from other zombie apocalypse films that have been made so far. You’d tune into the film expecting an endless stream of gore — a ravenous hoard of the undead attacking random people, survivors scurrying to protect themselves, and a saviour figure emerging from the darkness — but it’s really the social commentary that is in the forefront. Jarmusch is not trying to subvert the zombie apocalypse trope, it’s just a means to talk about racism, consumerism and the shitty face of the US of A under former President Trump.

The Dead Don’t Die takes place in a place called Centreville, a generic American town — a "real nice place" — that's riddled with zombies after the Earth shifts in its axis because of polar fracking. Adam Driver (Ronnie Peterson) and Bill Murray (Cliff Robertson) are two police officers patrolling the streets, when suddenly the sun refuses to set, the radio stops functioning, and an odd tension in the air. Everyone notices this, but still go about their way as usual until two diner employees are attacked by zombies just before closing time. Then there’s no going back for the undead as they maul every warm body in sight, turning them into one of them.

The zombies, besides their cannibalistic tendencies, are also attracted to the very things they were obsessed with in life — there’s a hipster zombie holding a phone looking for the WiFi signal, children zombies pouncing at all the unattended candy in a department store, and Iggy Pop’s zombie guzzling down coffee straight from the pot. Centreville isn’t the only place infested with the undead — it’s a global phenomena, as a radio report says in the film. With this Jarmusch is just trying to relay that brainless consumerism will be the death of all humanity one day. And he’s not wrong, is he?

As for the racist bit, Steve Buscemi represents the Trump-era divisiveness that spread like algae throughout the country. He’s the outright racist Farmer Miller, who wears an embarrassing “Make America White Again” cap wherever he goes, and the only one that invites no sympathy from Cliff. Then there’s the government vehemently denying any relation between the global reanimation of the dead and polar fracking. News reports quote the government justifying polar fracking. They only impress upon the fact that it “creates lots of jobs” — another fictional representation of how Trump and his cronies refused to accept the existence of climate change.

Jarmusch meshes the issues of global catastrophe and the absurdities of capitalism here. The ultimate lesson may not be entirely clear, but it’s there: be more cognizant, a little more self-aware of your life choices. The ones that remain safe from this apocalypse are three at-risk kids at a juvenile detention centre and Hermit Bob (Tom Waits), who has been living in the woods for decades.

The film otherwise relies on deadpan but humorous exchanges between the two officers and the rest of the cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny and Selena Gomez. You’ll just let out a cackle at some points, and there's a twinkle in both Driver and Murray's eyes as they try to out-funny each other. The characters do appear a one-note, simply defined by a single trait, but I don’t believe Jarmusch was going for something deep and complex anyway. Anyway, the dry humour can be a little tedious for someone more used to the slapstick and explicit sort of comedy. But give it a go and try not to let your attention waver too much.

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