Directed by:
Alejandro BruguésScreenplay:
Alejandro BruguésCinematography:
Carles GusiComposer:
Julio de la RosaCast:
Alexis Díaz de Villegas, Andrea Duro, Pavel Giroud, Jorge Molina, Blanca Rosa Blanco, Jodi FleisherVOD (2)
Plots(1)
Juan is a typical forty-year-old slacker. One day Havana begins to fill up with zombies. Juan decides that the best way to cope with it is to prosper. "Juan of the dead killed their loved ones" is his slogan, and his mission is to help people get rid of those infected around them ... for a price. But the situation gets worse -- while everyone is escaping to sea as a means to get away, Juan is left with no choice but to become a hero, staying to defend his country and protect his own on an island that has turned into a real bloodbath. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (3)
- Juan of the Dead. We kill your loved ones. How can I help you? The zombie sub-genre has always been ripe for filmmakers to stuff it with various socio-political topics, criticism and satire, so it’s no surprise that in this Cuban horror-comedy (almost parody), the zombies are, according to the Cuban media, dissidents supported by the American government :-)). Although the lack of budget can be seen (a zombie apocalypse is not something you can make for a couple of bucks), it doesn’t matter, because it’s clear that behind the camera there aren’t any morons with nothing to say. The zombies look alright, the characters are alright, the humour is alright, everything is actually very much alright, and at the end you will see a beautiful declaration of love :-D. Thumbs up, recommended. - I want to leave this place and travel around the world. If anyone asks me where I'm from, I'll say I'm from Cuba. If they ask me what Cuba is, I'll say it's a small socialist island in the Caribbean. If they ask me what socialism is, I'll say it's a social system established by Fidel Castro 50 years ago. If they ask me who Fidel Castro is, I'll stay there forever.
()
Juan de los Murtos is, similarly to Shaun of the Dead, another one of the few zombie comedies that entertain simply by its essence. The location of Havana or the unusual characters, dominated by Juan as the anti-hero, are the main reason why this movie is worth watching. The intelligent humor, which explicitly makes fun of Cuba several times can also entertain you a lot. On the other hand, what bothered me was that the movie does not explain anything at all. It basically has no plot, no explanation and no storyline. Juan perceives the dead bodies in the water in the same way I perceive dog’s shit on the sidewalk and getting used to the fact that every Cuban is really lazy was not easy either. It was really much worse than the whole European south. And that is saying something.
()
In the movie, you can definitely feel some societal elements that are present in Cuba - poverty, but also the strong patriotism that stands against something new, something evil. However, the film is good, original, entertaining, and it also works on a dramatic level, with even the finale presented with humor but still manages to touch you. Cubans and Spaniards hit the mark with Juan of the Dead.
()