Movie Review: The Defiled (2011)

We start by following what appears to be a zombie looking over an empty metropolis. After a few short moments, he's accosted by another zombie. The two go back to a makeshift camp. It seems that these zombies are able to function as some sort of a tribe or society. They take care of each other, feed each other and even have sex. In fact, the story really begins after our lead zombie's child is born and the mother is dead.

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I know. Believe me, I know. I was thinking what you're thinking about now. This is about the time I start to think that either the filmmakers are trying to redefine what a zombie is, or these aren't zombies at all. Of course, they don't tell you the truth for quite a long time. In fact, nobody tells you anything. there isn't a single word of dialogue in the entire movie.

Modern Times is the closest I've come to watching a feature length silent film. There are a few talking parts, but those are very short. I guess you could count Thomas Edison's Frankenstein, though it's not a short. I guess I did watch Nosferatu in German class back in high school, but that was over a few days. Okay, this is the first time in one sitting. Fair? The point is, it was unusual, especially for a movie made today. I thought it took guts.

Watching the "zombie" work to take care of his kid through a slew of adversities was interesting. I thought a movie that was a hundred minutes of silence might be rough, but it wasn't. The movie wasn't silent. The cast was. There were baby cries, grunts and sounds of action, but that was all that was needed. I won't say that this was a great movie, but it was quite good. If you watch this, set aside time when you can really pay attention. You'll need to see what's going on.