We Bury The Dead Review
Daisy Ridley has no doubt carved out quite an interesting career for herself after being front and centre of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. You’d think that would have led to her being in major blockbusters every other year, yet the mixed reactions to those films ultimately led to her almost going backwards a little, instead making smaller budget independent films that allow her to go deeper into character work. It’s a move that has worked out well for Ridley and her latest film, We Bury the Dead, throws her right into a zombie nightmare in Australia.
After the United States accidentally detonates an experimental weapon off the Eastern coast of Tasmania, the city of Hobart is destroyed, and victims on the island not caught in the immediate blast are rendered brain dead. When some are deemed to be regaining motor functions with growing levels of aggression, Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) volunteers as of part of an Australian military effort to retrieve and dispose of the bodies of the population. Her true goal is to venture out of the quarantine zone to find her husband, who was on a business trip when the accident occurred.
Don’t expect to see Daisy Ridley running for her life from zombies because this isn’t that kind of film. It’s less about the action and more about the humanity left behind, if any. Zak Hilditch both writes and directs, the latter being the more impressive side of his film. The nature of the reports about those affected becoming more violent being very much word-of-mouth makes for some intense encounters with zombies throughout. Hilditch has a lot of fun in dangling that carrot, effective when Ava actually is put in a position of peril.
One of the more interesting turns the film takes is when Ava is taken to Riley’s house. A lone soldier Ava comes across, there’s an ambiguous nature to his character, and there’s a disturbing nature to his intentions when he takes Ava to his house. It’s always intriguing to see the dangers that lurk amidst the human side of a zombie outbreak, and it sometimes reminds us that you might actually be better off taking your chances with the zombies. The performance from Ridley here as her realisation hits is top draw.
Speaking of Ridley, she continues to impress in these smaller scale films, not that she was ever the issue in the Star Wars sequels mind. She brings a steely and determined presence to Ava as she seeks closure on the fate of her husband. Flashbacks reveal a fractured marriage and the moment his fate is revealed provides a true cathartic release for her. Mark Coles Smith brings a heartbreaking note to Riley, a man who on one hand can be seen as both a devoted husband and a man driven over the edge by solitude on the other. Brenton Thwaites makes for an intriguing companion to Ava at various points in the film, the reasoning behind his volunteering revealed giving him more depth than just a man out for himself.
We Bury the Dead joins 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple as a zombie film to kickstart 2026 in a more meditative nature than expected. Always excited to see what Daisy Ridley does next, whether it be more independent films or returning to the role of Rey, she’s someone who brings her best to every role.
โ โ โ 1/2
Available on Digital HD 2 February and Blu-ray & DVD 16 February / Daisy Ridley, Mark Coles Smith, Brenton Thwaites / Dir: Zak Hilditch / Signature Entertainment / 15
About the Author
