‘They Came Back’(a.k.a. ‘Les Revenants’)
Haut et Court, 2004

starring: Géraldine Pailhas, Jonathan Zaccaï, Victor Garrivier and Djemel Barek
directed by: Robin Campillo

the plot: On a sunny afternoon, the dead return to life and stream out of the cemetery in a small French town. They’re in perfect health, dressed in bright summery clothes, and the town is entirely unprepared for their appearance. The town council convenes, orders the dead rounded up and placed in emergency housing. The living must deal with the responsibility of caring for those they already buried: the mayor (Garrivier) finds it hard to adjust to having his deceased wife back at home, and his colleague Rachel (Pailhas) can’t figure out what, exactly, is different about her formerly-dead boyfriend Mathieu (Zaccaï). Making it more difficult is the peculiar behavior of the dead. They don’t sleep, they barely eat and they walk about aimlessly during the day, slowly stalking about town, seemingly oblivious of their surroundings. But the living soon discover that the dead are secretly meeting each night. They are organized, and they have a plan.

why it’s good: “They Came Back” is a difficult film to classify. Because the dead are returning to life and shambling about, it’s technically a zombie film. But with no rotting flesh, sloppy entrails or strangled cries of “Brains!,” the commonly accepted definition of zombie doesn’t apply. And it’s not really a horror movie, except for the creeping dread that takes over the film’s last 30 minutes. In the end, it’s a film so quiet and subtle that, if not for its heavy questions about death, grief and the afterlife, wouldn’t make an impression at all. Pailhas and Zaccai give the best performances, but with everyone acting so pensive and whispering all the time, that’s not saying much. “They Came Back” veers dangerously close to pretension, but is saved by its intelligent premise and solid (if difficult to hear) cast. It’s worth seeing at least once, if only to remind those of us raised on a steady diet of Romero knock-offs that you can create a few shivers and raise some good questions without spilling too much blood.

why you should own it: Rent “They Came Back” before you by, just in case you’re infuriated by the film’s casual pace and lack of gore. The DVD of “They” contains the film, English subtitles, a trailer and a making-of featurette.