By John Corrado
In their latest film collaboration Dead Lover, real life couple Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie craft a German Expressionist parody with a real handmade quality to it.
Glowicki, who directs the film from a screenplay that she co-wrote with Petrie, stars as a lonely gravedigger. We are told that she smells really, really bad, but she is nevertheless heartsick for her own romantic partner, despite most being repelled by her stench. Yet, no sooner than she meets the man of her dreams (Petrie) – one who is actually attracted to her smell – she is left heartbroken when he drowns at sea. Time to start the experiments to bring his body back to life!
The film exudes theatre kid energy, and I mean that as a compliment. It was shot entirely across two black box theatres, utilizing exaggerated makeup, old school in-camera effects, and some creative production design by Becca Brooks Morrin. It was all captured on 16mm film by cinematographer Rhayne Vermette.
The limitations that Glowicki places on the project are also its main feature. Besides Glowicki and Petrie, there are only two other actors in the cast (Leah Doz and Lowen Morrow). This small troupe of four cast members takes on every role, complete with any number of bad accents, fake beards, and over-the-top performances. Glowicki intentionally pushes her film into the amusing horror comedy camp. Despite the horrific setup, Dead Lover is darkly funny and often ridiculous, but still has a sincere quality to it that helps it land.
Even if at times it feels more like gonzo art project than feature film, the artistry and commitment to the bit is admirable. At the Midnight Madness screening, the film was even presented in Stink-O-Vision with scratch cards showcasing a dozen putrid scents, for those not grossed out enough to want to smell some of the horrid things onscreen.
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