We Bury The Dead (2026)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, January 02

R Running Time: 95 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • We Bury the Dead offers a thoughtful, restrained take on the zombie film genre.

  • Daisy Ridley continues to give strong performances in pretty much every movie she appears in.

  • Offers the zombie movie as an analogy for grief response, trauma, and the emotional aftermath of conflicted feelings and emotions.

NO

  • At 95 minutes, We Bury the Dead leaves a lot of storylines and ideas and concepts underdeveloped or rushed. I seldom ask for more of a movie, but this might have been better as a limited series.

  • The pacing and somber tone of the film will potentially surprise people who watch the trailers and see how the film is marketed.

  • A better concept than a narrative film, in this form.


OUR REVIEW

A contemplative zombie movie is likely not what audiences expect given how We Bury the Dead is marketed. But, I guess, come for the promise of a zombie apocalypse and stay for a story of a woman wrestling with grief, guilt, survival, and the hope that her husband has survived a catastrophe - an accidental detonation of a weapon by the United States government. 

Daisy Ridley stars as Ava, a woman searching for answers after that weapon, experimental in nature, kills more than 500,000 people in Tasmania. Fearing her husband may be among the dead, Ava volunteers to assist with body recovery and clean up efforts on the devastated island, hoping he remains alive.

Told through a non-linear structure, the film weaves back-and-forth between present day and flashbacks of Ava’s marriage in the months leading up to the disaster. Shortly after arriving, she and the other volunteers are horrified to learn that some of those believed to be dead are waking up. Though they show signs of limited motor function, they are essentially “undead” - zombies who exist in a state of limbo and should likely be put out of their misery.

Written and directed by Zak Hilditch, We Bury the Dead attempts something different with the zombie genre. Even if you are experiencing zombie fatigue like I am, despite enjoying 28 Years Later and looking forward to its sequel The Bone Temple later this month, you may appreciate Hilditch’s approach.

Maybe in some small way, we all walk around “undead.” Maybe we are collectively numb as a society and need a catastrophic event to wake us all up again. Or maybe we have lessened our ability to handle and process grief. These are all compelling ideas, but more thoughts and questions than anything Hilditch provides perspective on.

Talking with colleagues, We Bury the Dead feels like a concept that would have likely worked better as a limited series. Hilditch’s ideas are interesting, but at 95 minutes, the film doesn’t have enough time to unpack everything he is thinking about.

The film’s somber pacing will not be to everyone’s liking. Ridley is terrific, but her performance is held back a bit by the tone and atmosphere the movie aims for. As Ava becomes closer to a former soldier, Riley (Mark Coles Smith), and a rough-around-the-edges volunteer, Clay (Brenton Thwaites), she pieces together moments from her present and past. Things, it turns out, had become quite complicated in her marriage to Mitch (Matt Whalen), adding a level of complexity to her search.

We Bury the Dead is a good idea for a movie. Cinematographer Steve Annis captures the bleak worldview effectively, with washed out colors and a believable post-apocalyptic dread present in many moments. The notion of grief among the main characters adds a unique layer to the zombie movie genre.

Though many of our questions are not quite answered, We Bury the Dead has ideas … it just seems more willing to start a conversation than finish it.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Mark Coles Smith, Brenton Thwaites, Kym Jackson, Matt Whelan, Salme Geransar, Deanna Cooney

Director: Zak Hilditch
Written by; Zak Hilditch
Release Date: January 2, 2026
Vertical Releasing