Just Buried

2008

Comedy / Drama

Canada

Written and Directed by Chaz Thorne, Producer John Watson

Liberation Entertainment

R1 DVD

Web: http://www.justburiedthemovie.com

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

Socially challenged Oliver (Jay Baruchel) has just inherited his father’s bankrupt funeral home in a rural town. The biggest problem is that since the retirement home across the road burnt down, no one else is dying. The new retirement home was built in an adjoining town where a brash, hypocritical young funeral director is getting all the business. Oliver must face the fact that he will probably have to sell the funeral home to the opposition and this will put the loyal staff out of work.

His attractive young embalmer Roberta, played brilliantly by Rose Byrne, is friendly to him and they go to a bar one night where they swap life stories and get more than a little drunk. On the way home Oliver hits and kills a late-night walker. He falls to pieces, but Roberta is up to the task. They throw his body off a steep hill. She is the County Coroner and embalmer, her boyfriend is the local not-too-bright police constable investigating the death, and her dad is the sheriff. She puts the death down to a broken neck arising from a fall and everyone seems none the wiser. The funeral home has its first funeral since Oliver’s father died, but the profit doesn’t even put a dent in the debts.

The dead man’s walking stick has gone missing. It has been picked up by a local retired actor, and if the police learn that it wasn’t found where the accident happened they will realise that the body was moved and the death covered up. Now the actor, too, must die. He does, entirely accidentally, and so it continues. It seems to be disturbingly easy for Oliver to become a serial killer, even though the deaths so far are accidental. Although he is still naturally a bit of a nerd, his confidence has improved, he and Roberta are becoming much closer, and the funeral home is making money.

One day one of their corpses is poached by the neighbouring funeral director, and Oliver and Roberta decide that he must die. A handful of old pacemakers is inserted in the body, which is to be cremated. Pacemakers explode dramatically in the fierce heat of the crematorium, so their next funeral becomes that of their ex-opposition. Some of the townsfolk, particularly Roberta’s dad, are starting to become suspicious about the sudden death toll since Oliver moved to town.

Oliver and Roberta are married, even though Oliver has to interrupt the reception briefly to kill his new father-in-law. Then Roberta reveals to Oliver what she has been after all along. Now it is Oliver’s life in danger.

This is a wonderful little dark comedy, done in good taste and style (if that’s the right choice of words for serial killers). Although funny, it is not overplayed. The deaths are just part of the story. The casting is excellent, especially Graham Greene as the funeral home handyman / accountant.

The film has deservedly won awards at the Santa Cruz Film Festival (Best of the Fest), Toronto International Film Festival (official selection) and the Atlantic Film Festival (Best Director). For an independent, it is well-crafted, well acted, and darkly funny. It’s well worth a look.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.4 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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