The Returned Review
The Returned
Reviewed by David Savage
Starring: Geraldine Pallhas, Jonathan Zaccai, Frederic Pierrot
Directed By: Robin Campillo
Certificate: 15
Release Date: 22 July 2013
RRP: £12.99
The Returned is the film version that the major Channel 4 series is based on.
The nearly dead, a majority are over 60, are returning to live and are happy to return to their former lives as if nothing had happened. They all have a body temperature 5 degrees lower than a normal human and seem to suffer from a form of aphasia which prevents them from creating new memories so only exist with memories until point of death.
The government at first houses the estimated 13,000 returnees in warehouses like refugees until they are all examined and a census taken to first out who they are before allow them back to their families and former lives.
Rachel who lost her husband Mattieu 2 years previously cannot bring herself to visit her nearly returned husband but soon relents but things are not all as they seem and the “zombies” all go out wandering the night and gather together and seem to be plotting a plan.
Overall, although the film is in French it is easy enough to follow with subtitles but I found the film to be very slow with very little happening. It seemed like it was getting better in the second part when the Returnees started sabotaging the town with terrorist like attacks but then seemed to end as suddenly as it began with no explanation as to why they came back, what they wanted or even why the town people allowed the dead to integrate into everyday life. Maybe something was lost in translation.
A very different type of zombie movie.
Rating: 3/5
The Returned is available to buy from Amazon here.
