The Z Word
Directed by Zak Hilditch
Starring Daisy Ridley, Brenton Thwaites, Mark Coles Smith
Released January 2nd, 2026
Rated R
There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to zombie movies. Your zombies can be slow moving, or your zombies can move fast. Your zombies could be silent, your zombies could demand brains. Every zombie movie handles their monsters differently. Even with all of that variety, I can’t say that I’ve been a fan of most of the zombie movies that I’ve seen. There are only a handful that I’ve enjoyed over the years, notably George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004), and Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead. Now I’m adding another to that short list, a wonderful thriller out of Australia written and directed by Zak Hilditch: We Bury the Dead.
I am used to seeing disaster movies in which forces from the United States must deal with the aftermath of another country’s aggression or mistake. This being an Australian production, I thought it was novel that the film straight up blames America for the disaster at the heart of the story. It seems the good ol’ US of A was experimenting with some sort of pulse weapon and accidentally detonated it off the coast of Tasmania. This caused the immediate death of all living things in the area – birds, insects, people – while leaving buildings and structures standing.
Daisy Ridley plays Ava, an American who travels from the United States to the wreckage of Tasmania as part of a volunteer body retrieval crew. Ava has thrown herself into this precarious situation specifically to locate her husband who was attending a conference in Tasmania when the pulse weapon was detonated. Soon she is going from house to house with fellow volunteer Clay (Brenton Thwaites), who has his own reasons for signing up for this mission. What the authorities aren’t telling everyone is that not everyone affected by the weapon is staying dead. The military refers to this as “coming back online.”
Ava has heard these rumors, and is hopeful that even if her husband is in a zombified state that his humanity is still somehow recoverable. I do not believe these reanimated corpses are ever referred to as zombies at any point in the film. When the corpses “come back online” they seem unsure of their existence. Their bodies decaying, their eyes stuck in a thousand-yard stare. Most just stand there, grinding their teeth together as their jaws slowly crack. The powers that be do not consider people in this state to be alive, and if the military comes across someone in this state they immediately shoot them, effectively killing them again.
Being American, most locals are not kind to Ava, calling her a Yank and being unhelpful in her search for her missing husband. One of the unhelpful people Ava and Clay come across is Riley (Mark Coles Smith), a military man dealing with this apocalyptic situation in a violent and desperate manner. This leads to a disturbing scene set to PJ Harvey’s fantastic song You Said Something from her excellent album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. It’s a wonderful addition to a film that also sports a memorable and haunting score composed by an artist who simply goes by Clark.
We Bury the Dead is not a film with a breakneck pace or a ton of jump scares. This is a deliberately paced, thoughtful film that will make you think about the lengths you would go to for a sense of closure in the face of a horrible situation. Brenton Thwaites turns in a strong performance as Clay, but one wishes his character would have been fleshed out a bit more. Mark Coles Smith cuts a commanding performance as Riley, managing to create a character that’s simultaneously sympathetic and frightening.
Though her American accent takes some getting used to, this is without question one of Daisy Ridley’s strongest performances. She is a charismatic performer, and she carries herself very well here, leading the audience by the hand through a surprising journey. Hardcore horror fans will have to look elsewhere for gory scares, but those looking for a smart, emotional thriller will be quite pleased with this movie. We Bury the Dead is a contemplative film that offers an interesting take on zombie lore, giving audiences something new to chew on instead of the same old brains.