Popcorn Frights Film Festival Coverage
Lizzie Lazarus review
A long walk through the woods with a dead body leads to some interesting conversation and an even better destination.
Festival reviews will not contain spoilers
Lizzie Lazarus
Directed by Aviv Rubinstien
Written by Aviv Rubinstien
Starring Omar Maskati and Lianne O’Shea
Lizzie Lazarus Review
Lizzie Lazarus throws down a wildly entertaining opening gambit. We meet Lizzie, quite dead, performing a musical number while lying in a rocky stream. The mind reels with possibilities in the moment. Is this a musical? Does the movie present a string of fun ideas that seemingly come out of nowhere? Are we in for a crazy ride? The answer to all those questions turns out to be “no”. An inspired opening gives way to something far more grounded. At least…for most of our character’s journey.
Lizzie (Megan Oesterreich) died in a car crash. Almost all of Lizzie Lazarus is spent watching her boyfriend Eli (Omar Maskati) and her sister Bethany (Lianne O’Shea) carry her dead body through the woods. Let me repeat that. Following an opening scene where Lizzie’s corpse sings…most of the movie involves two people carrying her body through the woods. They intend to use dark magic to resurrect her. A destination worth walking with them to get to. Even if it never reaches the peak set by that unique introduction.
Since Lizzie Lazarus is a two-hander, you can rightfully expect a lot of conversation. Eli and Bethany fill in the entire backstory that put Lizzie on the road that night. She was driving to her sister from her boyfriend’s house. So, there is some mistrust and blame gaming between the two. Hanging over everything is Eli’s lingering fear that Lizzie crashed on purpose. Bethany questions him about aspects of their relationship…clearly looking for paths that can lead to his fault.
They occasionally stop to consider the philosophical ramifications of what they’re attempting to do. If their witchy Pet Sematary voodoo were to work…, where are they pulling her soul back from? What if she is at peace and they rip her out of it? Eli and Bethany both have their reasons to press on regardless of consequence. We learn all about those too.
Maskati and O’Shea do their best to make the long trek as interesting as possible. The entire production sits on their shoulders. Aside from a few brief flashbacks that show Bethany pitching this resurrection plan to Eli…they spend over an hour making their way through the woods and talking about the situation. It’s a tall order that both actors pull off well.
For a story about bringing the dead back to life…it takes an astonishing hour and fifteen minutes for Eli and Bethany to start digging. Given that Lizzie Lazarus is only 92 minutes long…you’ll understand when I say that it is a story far more about the journey than the destination. Now…the destination itself has some interesting moments. It restores some of the fun vibe that was restricted solely to the opening aria. Amusing bookends to a far more grounded trip.
The story itself is interesting enough to hold a lengthy discussion about. Hearing about Lizzie’s life from the perspective of her boyfriend and her sister is an interesting way to do it. Obviously, we learn plenty about Eli and Bethany as well. Lizzie Lazarus is the kind of independent film that wisely doesn’t overreach. There’s only so much that can be done on a budget…carrying a body through the woods is one of them. Writer/director Aviv Rubinstien wisely spent his pre-production time crafting a script that could make each step as worthwhile as possible.
Secrets are revealed and dark magic is afoot. Lizzie Lazarus eventually gets down to the business that it spends so much time only talking about. There’s a strong ending waiting at the end of the rare path the movie takes. The movie spends a lot of time teasing what might or might not be at the end of the journey. It makes the musical opening even more important. After trudging through the woods for over an hour…it’s worth trying to bring back.
Scare Value
Lizzie Lazarus isn’t all talk. It can, however, feel that way after a while. Rest assured; the opening moments aren’t the only surprise the movie has to offer. Is it worth carrying a dead body all night to arrive at them? Thanks to two strong performances and a well-crafted screenplay…it turns out that it is. But I wouldn’t have complained about another musical interlude or three.
