Dead Bodies

REVIEW
Verging on the overly self-conscious, hipster style associated with such films as Trainspotting, in the portrayal of post-adolescence as a sort of marginalized but smart subset of society, Dead Bodies utilizes quick edits, odd angles and color-coded scenes to convey this somewhat pretentious look at what happens when a lad named Tommy (Andrew Scott) lets his ex-girlfriend move back into his flat. Jean (Katy Davis) bitches and badgers him until they argue and she ends up being pushed into a coffee table, hitting her head in what turns out to be a mortal blow. Thus begins the hyper paranoid journey of Tommy. After burying her, he tries to forget by getting drunk and immersing himself with a new girl named Viv (Kelly Reilly). Parallel narrative flash cuts of a dog digging at the gravesite of Jean lets the viewer know that Tommy is not getting off easy with his accidental death. The situation is complicated when the cops find a second body, the wife of a prominent politician who was murdered years ago. The police remain hot on Tommy’s trail, providing the momentum needed to continue the story.

As might be expected, the narrative twists at this point. With the main path of the story splitting into a winding side-path, the viewer has choices as to who murdered whom and who might be next. Overall, a decent independent release by Irish director Robert Quinn.