Directed by Meera Menon (The Walking Dead, Ms. Marvel), who co-wrote the film with cinematographer and husband Paul Gleason (Love Land), Didn’t Die explores the need for community and intimacy during a crisis. Taking a page from zombie pioneer George A. Romero, the film opts for a dark and eerie atmosphere over sprinting corpses and explosive gore.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the film tells of siblings Vinita (Kiran Deol) and Rish (Vishal Vijayakumar), who drive around the country for their podcast “Didn’t Die.” After being on the road for months, they return to their childhood home in California where their older brother Hari (Samrat Chakrabarti) now lives with his wife Barbara (Katie McCuen), who often bears a striking resemblance to Night of the Living Dead’s Barbra (Judith O’Dea). As with all families and in-laws, there’s some tension upon arrival. However, Hari, Barbara, and their adorable dog Bobby warmly welcome the company.
Vinita is that dry, sarcastic person we’ve all met; maybe our funny friend who seemingly doesn’t take most things seriously but is actually wearing sarcasm as armor. She deals with the end of the world with her gallows humor while seeking connection with other survivors through her podcast. She looks for any light left in the world but hasn’t allowed herself to be vulnerable and properly confront the trauma of the situation.
Celebrating the 100th episode of their podcast, Vinita and Rish organize a survivor meet-up with their listeners. But before things can get going, Vinita’s ex-boyfriend Vincent (George Basil) shows up with a baby (played by Menon and Gleason’s daughter Lakshmi) in tow. She’s not his child but he found the poor thing while scavenging. Now he’s trying to hand the baby over to anyone who wants her. Her presence and the “new life” she represents have a different effect on everyone.
Each character handles the circumstances differently. Vinita loves being on the road and connecting with people, suggesting she’s actually avoiding reality rather than facing it head-on. Rish follows his older sister around but seems more relaxed when they slow down and come home. Hari and Barbara keep to themselves and try to live life as normally as they can, making time for cocktail hour and music. Vincent is a lone wolf who prefers his lack of responsibility for anyone’s life other than his.
Like in every zombie movie, the main goal is to survive. But at the core of Didn’t Die is how survivors figure out how to cultivate a life worth living. When the sun goes down, the zombies, or “biters,” rise and roam the earth looking for flesh. Their nightly wailing is a chilling reminder of this strange reality. Having already endured so much loss, our fear as an audience doesn’t necessarily stem from seeing the next zombie attack but rather anxiously awaiting another casualty.
Fighting to live while surrounded by constant death takes an emotional and psychological toll on the characters. The first act references a traumatic experience that Rish witnessed on his own, something that keeps him from being particularly effective with biters all around.
The small ensemble cast delivers solid performances, especially since some are making their film debut. The sibling relationships are believable; they could be arguing one minute and embracing the next. Deol and Basil’s chemistry as exes reconnecting during an apocalypse is one of the film’s highlights. Each is funny in their own way and they come together for awkward, passive-aggressive exchanges that are both comical and relatable.
Gleason’s striking black-and-white cinematography captures serene moments of swans in a lake, icy branches, open fields, train tracks, a cemetery, and even an abandoned junkyard. Given its indie style, the biters have subtle special effects makeup that doesn’t exactly stand out. However, they’re much creepier in silhouette and the great sound design does some of the heavy lifting.
As a Night of the Living Dead fan, I instantly appreciated the low-budget, guerrilla-style approach to the film. Menon and Gleason shot some flashback scenes at their own house in Altadena, California, as well as the nearby house of their producer Erica Fishman and her husband Geoff Boothby (the film’s editor). Sadly, both of their homes burned down in the Eaton Fire.
Speaking to NPR about the flashback scenes filmed at their home, Menon described them “as a memory these people had in happier times before the apocalypse started, before the world ended.” After the fire, “Suddenly it’s like holding a mirror up to something that we’ve only begun to process.”
Didn’t Die is an intimate character study set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. The atmospheric Romero-esque thriller has a behind-the-scenes collaboration that adds a deep level of authenticity to the characters as well as the setting.
Didn’t Die premiered January 28 in the Midnight section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
