A struggling photographer. A lonely old friend. Oh, and the latter is a ghost. Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas shine in the deathly funny, sometimes awkward but undeniably charming comedy feature The Civil Dead.
Clay (Tatum) is an unemployed photographer living in LA, struggling for money, with his wife Whitney (Whitney Weir). Whilst Whitney is away, Clay tries to scrape together some money and, while taking some new photos, comes across an old friend, Whit (Thomas), who wants to spend time with Clay and catch up. As Clay reluctantly agrees and the two reacquaint themselves, Whit reveals a huge secret – he is dead, and Clay is the only one who can see him. Wrestling with this revelation, Clay has to figure out how to help Whit whilst also getting on with his own life – an interesting reflection on how all of us audience members try to balance friendships, relationships, and the biggest thing of all: life.
Tatum, who co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas as well as directed the film for his feature debut, manages to explore so many compelling aspects of the human condition and the stress of dealing with relationships and grief while also making the story subtly funny with several moments catching you off guard before pulling you back down to earth with hard home truths and real scenarios. Tatum and Thomas, who are friends in real life, bring unmatched chemistry that lights up the screen and will have you seeing yourselves in the characters and thinking about what you would do or say in their shoes.
The cinematography envelops you in this almost ethereal plain that the narrative exists on, and the score is near pitch-perfect in capturing the emotions both the audience and the characters are feeling.
The Civil Dead is a wonderfully funny, heartwarming, and tragic comedy that superbly captures the struggles and loneliness of creatives and touches on so many raw and real subject matters that other films fail to capture perfectly or are too afraid to tackle. Tatum and Thomas are an explosive new comedic duo everyone must watch out for.
THE CIVIL DEAD is released on digital platforms in the UK on January 19th.
