Before we start, we need to issue a massive warning for viewers of The Unburied that there’s a sequence set in a slaughterhouse that will genuinely cause upset. We won’t be describing it, however.
Struggling to pay his debts, Maxi (Demián Salomón) receives a call that his ‘father’ has died. He returns to his former home, a sprawling mansion where he and many other boys were brought up, to hopefully be in line for some inheritance. He finds that Aldo – his ‘papa’ – is still at the table where he choked to death. Being back in the old surroundings brings back troubling memories for Maxi, and the traditions of his family that need to be conducted are not something he is comfortable with.
Made in Argentina by writer/director Alejandro Cohen Arazi, The Unburied is a dense, multifaceted film. Playing as the prodigal son, Maxi has once tried to distance himself from the bizarre situation that he faces. His new life has allowed him to forget the rituals that caused him to flee in the first place, but the longer he is there, the more they come back to haunt him. Traditions can be a good thing, but we often see how damaging they can be, and the family rites that Maxi must face are the most destructive of all.
Despite looking fantastic and well played, it’s difficult to like The Unburied as there are no real characters that we want to root for.


