Juan de los muertos

Alright, well this is the first Cuban movie I have ever seen, so it being a zombie movie just made it all the more glorious to watch. I had some initial doubts about this movie, but being a zombie movie, I just couldn't let the opportunity pass me by. And now that I have seen it, I must admit that I am more than pleasantly surprised. This movie was really great.

I assume that it would be the Cuban equivalent to "Shaun of the Dead", probably there the name came from as well. This movie combines humor, political satire and zombies in a very nice mixture, and it just worked out nicely.

The story is about Juan (played by Alexis Díaz de Villegas) and his friend Lazaro (played by Jorge Molina) who get on day by day in a not all that glamorous life, when the living dead start to overrun the city, sending the entire island into chaos and destruction. The story was actually quite good, and it was nice to see this approach to the zombie genre.

The characters in the movie were really nice, and they had very distinct and unique characteristics and personalities, which were nicely portrayed on the screen. So aside from being a zombie movie, the director gave the actors great chances to let the characters grow and develop on the screen. The group of survivors was made up of very different people, each with their own unique characteristics, which was really great, because there was something for almost everyone's liking here; heroic leader, funny sidekick, tough woman, muscular man who is scared of blood, über-gay guy, and much more.

"Juan of the Dead" was actually nicely made. There was a very nice sense of authenticity to the movie, as if you were there in Cuban with the people in the movie. And the zombies were actually quite nicely made as well, in regards to make-up and prosthetics. However, what really made this movie work was the humor, and the way it was used. I was thoroughly amused throughout the movie, and I loved the sense of humor that Lazaro had, he was just beyond cool.

There were some nice new ideas introduced in the movie as well, stuff that haven't been seen in zombie movies before. I especially liked the scene with the pickup truck with the harpoon and the tow cable. That was awesome. I will not give away the detail here, just watch it for yourself.

If you like zombie movies, then you definitely do not want to miss out on "Juan of the Dead", because it is indeed great fun, and with "Juan of the Dead" director Alejandro Brugués has put Cuba on the world map of the zombie outbreak. This movie was even far better than so many of the American produced low budget zombie movies out on the market. So "Juan of the Dead" is really a zombie movie to take notice of. Even if you are reluctant to foreign language movies, then you should sit down to watch "Juan of the Dead" if you like zombie movies, trust me!

Two rotten thumbs up for this movie.

The Cuban / Spanish production "Juan de los Muertos" is one of those pleasant surprises every day more difficult to find in the entertainment world. For those familiar with the Cuban regime and people, the movie is a very hard critic to both. In fact it seems the movie was only show on cinema festival but was never released in Cuba. For the rest, this is "SHAWN OF THE DEAD" style comedy / satire with some elaborated special effects and surprising production and technical values. Without any explanation Zombies appears in La Habana, Cuba and start eating people. Juan, a lazy fisherman; a "survivor" on his own words finds a way to make money, charging people to kill next of kin that became undead. With the help of his best friend and son, his daughter and a gay couple start a business called "JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS" or "JUAN OF THE DEAD". Obviously things get more complicated than them or the Cuban government expect. The language could be a limitation for not Spanish speakers; some puns are almost impossible to translate; even worse not knowing Cuban idiosyncrasy. In one of the most celebrated jokes, Juan is asked to kill a cow but he refuses because it is too dangerous. In Cuba killing a cow is worse crime than killing people. The other problem with the movie is that attempting to mock every dramatic cliché in movies (like daughter hating father, friend about to die, farewell , even MATRIX style fights) drags the pace down for some moments. Behind the comedy there is serious critic to the Cuban regime (the zombies are call "DISSIDENTS" , the news are always accusing USA of an attack and stating that everything is controlled even when nothing is being done). However the worst criticism goes to the Cuban society main defects; their selfishness (nobody helps anybody and less for free), their arrogance ("we are invincible" is stated many times), laziness and lack of interest in fighting (let's take a boat and move to Miami seems to be the only solution). In brief; if you are Cuban or with Latin roots; you must see it; if you are not, give it a try; will not be disappointed.

Juan of the Dead is the first Cuban Zombie movie ever made. Juan and his friend, Lazaro, wake up one morning to a Zombie invasion in Havana. The Cuban government is reporting that the Zombie outbreak is "Americans trying to undermine the Cuban government". Obviously poking fun at the Cuban's political propaganda.

Juan and his friends decide that they can make a successful small business by killing and disposing of Zombies. For a small fee Juan can dispose of your unwanted loved ones for you. So an unlikely bunch of heroes come together and arm themselves to rid the city of Zombies for a profit.

What makes this movie special is that you get a real up close and personal view of what it is like to live in Havana under the Communist Regime. The scenery is beautiful and sad at the same time. Havana is depicted as a place where Elevators don't work, Medicine is outdated, and things just generally look run down. Zombies are merely thrown into the mix. What comes across loud and clear is how proud the Cuban people are. Even when facing the end of life as he knows it, Juan does not want to leave his homeland.

I saw this movie at the World Premiere in Toronto at TIFF, so I had the pleasure of hearing the Q&A after the film. The Director, Alejandro Brugues, and his crew were excited to be in Canada for the first time and mentioned that they were going to a Jay's game before flying back to Cuba…LOL He seemed surprised that the film comes across with a political message, because it was not his intention to do so.

In this terror/comedy picture there is action , tongue-in-cheek , irony , creepy atmosphere as well as gore , guts and blood . 50 years after the Cuban Revolution, a new Revolution is about to begin , then a bunch of slackers take on an army of zombies . Juan (Alexis Díaz de Villegas) is a botcher vagrant as well as womanizer attempting to reconnect with his daughter (Andrea Duro) , who schemes to rejoin her mummy in Miami . Meanwhile , Lazaro (Jorge Molina) , Juan's friend , is wishing to connect with his own son . They start to notice that citizens are "going crazy" , attacking locals and eating their flesh , and the recently deceased are going back to life . Juan tries to take of advantage of terror created by Zombies , as starts a business to profit off of killing the zombies . Juan forms a misfit squad , as they confront several Zombies starving of human meat and may soon find their own lives at risk .

Funny and refreshing Cuban/Spanish picture including lots of blood and gore . It's a fun and amusing Zombie movie filled with action , thrills , chills , humor and Zombie attacks . It results to be an outstanding horror/comedy movie , it's realized in fast moving and neither boring , nor tiring , but entertaining . From start to finish the action pace is nonstop , including a lot of fights , attacks and twisted situations . Spectacular frames when takes place a creepy head decapitating scene , it was not filmed in Revolution Square as filming there was impossible, so, the Square was digitally added after the sequence had been shot . There some brief critiques to Cuban government , as the media claim that the zombies are dissidents revolting against the government . It was submitted a certain censorship , as freedom of expression remains under siege in Cuba despite the reopening of diplomatic relations .

Juan De Los Muertos was made with the support of the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficas - Icaic, Canal Sur, Televisión Española and the collaboration of Junta de Andalucía, Ibermedia, Cinergia and Universidad De Guadalajara . Thrilling and atmospheric soundtrack by Julio De La Rosa , a notorious composer who has composed successes such as ¨Isla Minima¨ , ¨Primos¨ , ¨Grupo 7¨ , ¨Siete Virgenes¨ and ¨Carne De Neon . ¨Appropriate cinematography by Carlos Gusi -¨Torrente¨ , ¨Box 507¨ , ¨El Niño¨, ¨Take my eyes¨ , ¨Sexykiller¨ , ¨Cell 211¨ - who photographs splendidly the colorful exteriors from La Habana . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Alejandro Bruges and it achieved Goya Award to best Iberoamerican film . Alejandro is a writer and director, known for 2011 Fabula , 2006 Personal Belongings , 2005 Frutas en el café, 2005 Bailando Chachacha , 2004 Tres Veces Dos , 2000 Candela and he has been hired by Hollywood where directed The ABCs of Death 2 and is set to direct the third episode of season two of Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn : The Series .

Welcome to zombies, Cubano style! This movie was effective on many levels. It's a good comedy, with tips of the hat to other films in the genre, like Braindead or Resident Evil, and with refreshing humour. It is also a zombie film, although the horror is minimal. But more than this, it is a social commentary on Cuban life style, with great quotes like "It doesn't look that different to me", when zombies roam Havana.

Unfortunately, afflicted by international isolation, Cuban culture is not something many people are familiar with, including myself, so I can't say if Cubans are really like depicted in the film. I can tell you that, placed in a small seaside town in Spain, the movie could have had almost the same effect. The heroes are ordinary, stupid and selfish, but they grow on you.

Bottom line: If you like zombie flicks, comedy and/or Spanish film, then you will love Juan de los Muertos. I enjoyed it and recommend it.