[7]
Rupert Everett (Another Country, My Best Friend’s Wedding) stars as Francesco Dellamorte, a cemetery caretaker who must re-kill the recently buried when they rise from their graves as zombies. The job becomes increasingly taxing, making it difficult for Francesco to find love. Eventually, the line between life and death becomes indistinguishable and he begins killing the living — seemingly without consequence. The local police and mayor are clueless. When Francesco tries to escape his lifestyle, he learns he is trapped — that the rest of the world doesn’t even exist.
Dellamorte Dellamore is an odd, unconventional horror comedy based on a book by Tiziano Sclavi (Dylan Dog) and directed by Michele Soavi, an acolyte of Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Soavi shares his mentors’ gift of lurid imagery, stylish sets, and creative camerawork. This is a truly beautiful film, executed with sophistication and remarkable polish. Everett is perfectly cast as the sardonic Francesco. He’s backed up by a couple of great supporting players, including François Hadji-Lazaro as his near-mute henchman, and Anna Falchi as several different female characters with whom Farncesco is infatuated. The synthesized score by Riccardo Biseo and Manuel de Sica is like a chef’s kiss on a film that is aesthetically unique and dressed to the nines.
The screenplay by Giovanni Romoli bucks formula and dodges answers to the film’s mysteries. The ending is an open one that may leave some viewers cold. The script is episodic in nature, with little connective tissue or narrative guideposts to help us along the journey. As a result, you’re never sure where Dellamorte Dellamore is going, or what it’s all about. The script lacks momentum, but Soavi’s stylish direction often obscures this weakness. If you’re part of the art-house crowd, you’ll probably enjoy how well executed and original this film is. If you’re looking for a more conventional horror film, you might enjoy the film’s many gory kills, but find the whole too aloof to appreciate. Personally, I’m somewhere in-between.