D(e)AD: A Lively Dark Comedy

Families are weird. We can love them, hate them, be indifferent to them, and sometimes all three at the same time. However, even if we have difficult relationships with some relatives, it can be difficult to reconcile our negative feelings with positive memories, especially from when we were younger. But what do we do when they die? How do we feel: Good, bad, neither, both? Or worse: what do you do when they’re haunting everyone except you? D(e)ad explores these dynamics of grief and family through a darkly comedic lens, delivering a funny yet emotional experience.

“Oh my god. My whole family is being haunted without me.”

Tillie’s (Isabella Roland) relationship with her father Daniel (Craig Bierko) is complex, to say the least. Despite having positive memories from her childhood, they’ve long been overshadowed by his perpetual lies, trickery, and overall deceit toward her sibling Violet (Vic Michaelis) and mother Frankie (Claudia Lonow) over the years. It’s gotten so bad that when Tillie is informed of his cancer diagnosis, she’s skeptical, even asking if anyone’s seen the tumors. When the doctor (Zac Oyama) later offers her the chance to see the images, however, she declines.

Violet is the dutiful eldest sibling, at the hospital before anyone, and even Frankie shows up, but Tillie puts off seeing him for so long that she’s in the hallway when he finally dies. Wracked with guilt and lacking closure, Tillie is understandably upset. Her emotions hit a fever pitch, though, when she discovers that not only is her dad haunting the family through mirrors, but she is the only one who’s unable to see him. They scramble to make sense of the situation, employing the help of everyone from Frankie’s partner Carl (Jonathan Schmock), her parents Harris and Renee(Mark Lonow and JoAnne Astrow), Violet’s golden-retriever baby-daddy Eric (Nick Marini), a call-center rep from a body donation service (Brennan Lee Mulligan), and a psychic rabbi (Eddie Pepitone).

Light in Tone, Heavy in Humor

D(e)ad is clever, in more ways than just its title. It is a touching, thoughtful look at a family’s collective grief over the loss of a crucial yet complicated relative, deftly using humor to soften the emotional gut-punches throughout. This balance is essential, as those who handle grief a certain way can attest to, and makes the story that much more relatable and believable. Well, as believable as a ghost in a mirror can be. Though the film is already a brisk eighty-ish minutes, the pacing is still rapid-fire as we are continually propelled forward by the onslaught of jokes and witty dialogue provided from Roland’s script. From top to bottom, this cast is stacked with comedy veterans. Roland herself is a third-generation comedic performer, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandparents. She’s appeared in scripted comedies including The Sex Lives of College Girls, but is better-known for her work on Dropout’s various series, along with Mulligan, Michaelis, and Oyama. Bierko is also no stranger to comedy, appearing in a broad range of roles from the Scary Movie franchise to Sex and the City to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

What also adds to the emotional depth and themes of the film is that it is itself a family affair. Claudia Lonow, in addition to directing the film and playing Roland’s mom, is her real-life mom, with her parents in the film being played by her own as well. Mulligan, playing Owen in the film, also serves as an executive producer and is Roland’s real-life husband. Each cast member plays their role perfectly, from Tillie’s blend of grief and anger to Violet’s sadness and type-A handling of the situation to Frankie’s father’s complete disdain for Daniel, even in death. Harris and Renee fire off some fantastic one-liners, and bring some eccentric levity to even the more serious scenes, and Bierko plays Daniel exceptionally well, a charming yet manipulative deadbeat who pulled one over on anyone he could, including his children, yet they struggle to not love him at least a little.

D(e)ad: Indie Film is Alive and Well

D(e)ad is a wonderful, touching film, about grief, guilt, and loving people who’ve hurt you. It’s clear that it’s a labor of love, an autobiographical experience according to the film’s website that was funded in part through Kickstarter. The community behind this film, and the friends and family that came together to make it a reality, is a testament to independent film and the power of telling stories from the heart. Roland’s script in the hands of this seasoned cast, bolstered by an energetic soundtrack and the delicate touch of Lonow’s directing, has made for a delightful experience that I can’t wait to watch again. I can only hope a physical release is forthcoming with all the special features.

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