The Funeral review
Turkey brings us a quiet romance between a man and his undead passenger…with a big, bloody endgame.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Streaming exclusively on SCREAMBOX August 27
The Funeral
Directed by Orcun Behram
Written by Orcun Behram
Starring Ahmet Rifat Sungar and Cansu Türedi
The Funeral Review
The movie that you’re going to see associated with The Funeral the most often is the 2008 Swedish romantic horror film Let the Right One In. I’ve seen this called “Let the Right One In for zombie movies” on more than one occasion. Having never actually seen Let the Right One In…I can’t comment on the validity of that statement. What I can say…especially to those who are in the same movie blind spot boat…is that The Funeral is a really good movie.
The movie that was brought to my mind more than once is a different vampire story. It evokes the quiet acceptance of who someone is that highlighted 2014’s Iranian vampire movie A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. It’s not an accident that the two comparable examples are vampire flicks. Vampire movies have long placed romance at the heart of their horror stories. It’s a bit harder to tell that story with zombies. If, in fact, that is what Cemal (Ahmet Rifat Sungar) is carrying in the back of his hearse. Warm Bodies found a hit with a Romeo and Juliet take on human/zombie romance back in 2013. The Funeral is much closer to the pacing and tone of the two vampire movies.
Cemal’s life changes when he takes on an odd job request. He’s tasked with delivering the body of a young girl to her family on the other side of the country. That’s not the odd part. That part happens when the body starts making noises despite being very dead. He discovers that Zeynep (Cansu Türedi) is, in fact, very undead.
The Funeral is the rare road trip movie that’s destination is more interesting than the journey. That’s not to dismiss the relationship building that happens in the first two acts of the story. There are wonderful character moments in this beautifully shot and acted film. The third act, however, is a lot more fun. The Funeral holds a patient pace for a long time. Long enough that the wild climax is the best kind of jarring. The love that Cemal develops for Zeynep before they (and the story) arrive at their destination is important, of course. It makes what happens next all the more thrilling.
Cemal cares for Zeynep from the moment he realizes that she isn’t just another body. He bathes and clothes her. He even feeds her…from his own blood supply. Obviously, that is a temporary solution. It isn’t long before Cemal heads out searching for a better food source. Namely…delivering a person for Zeynep to feed upon. It isn’t much longer before local police begin searching for a serial killer.
With the heat heading their way…Cemal hides out at his estranged sister’s home. A plan that threatens to turn into another threat when his sister gets a little too nosy about exactly what Cemal is transporting. For as patient as The Funeral is traveling from point A to point B…it is equally adept at having the walls slowly close in around its unlikely pairing.
Türedi is fantastic in the undead role of Zeynep. She’s incapable of speaking…settling on a few noises here and there. Nearly her entire performance must be delivered silently. Even through those restrictions…she manages to deliver a character that you can realistically believe Cemal would fall for. The degree of difficulty is enormous. Sungar gets the power of speech…but he doesn’t use it as often as you’d expect. This isn’t a story where one character does all the heavy exposition lifting. It’s a story of comfortable silence. In fact, the more outgoing Cemal is…the more likely it is that he’s trying to serve you up to Zeynep on a platter.
Cemal’s quiet nature fits well with Zeynep’s silent one. It makes their pairing feel natural. It also makes the third act when things get loud even more shocking. The Funeral can be quite gory when it wants to be. Whether over a quiet dinner or a loud massacre. What’s waiting for Cemal and Zeynep at the end of the line isn’t ready for what is coming their way. As well-crafted as The Funeral is for two acts…it saves nearly all the fun for the end.
Scare Value
The Funeral takes its time getting to where it is heading…but that destination is well worth the trip. Two excellent lead performances carry their weight while writer/director Orcun Behram crafts a fine-looking journey. The payoff to the build is terrific. A wild, blood-soaked climax where every step makes the characters we’ve come to care for more and more interesting.
3.5/5
The Funeral Link
Streaming on SCREAMBOX August 27
