Zombi Child

Zombi Child
Film poster
Directed byBertrand Bonello
Written byBertrand Bonello
Starring
CinematographyYves Cape
Edited byAnita Roth
Music byBertrand Bonello
Production
companies
My New Pictures
Les Films du Bal
Distributed byAd Vitam
Release dates
  • 17 May 2019 (2019-05-17) (Cannes)
  • 12 June 2019 (2019-06-12) (France)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$200,599[1][2]

Zombi Child is a 2019 French drama film directed by Bertrand Bonello. It is based on the account of the life of a supposed zombified man in Haiti, Clairvius Narcisse. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[3][4]

Plot

In 1962, a Haitian man is buried by his family and his brother that caused his death by voodoo, only to be brought back as an undead zombi slave. Fifty-five years later, a teenage girl Fanny makes friends with Mélissa, who moved from Haiti to France after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. After it is revealed that Mélissa's family is associated with voodoo culture, Fanny convinces Mélissa's aunt Katy (a mambo) to perform a ritual in order to cure Fanny's heartbreak over a recent breakup. The ritual goes awry, however, leaving Fanny possessed by Baron Samedi himself.

Cast

  • Louise Labèque as Fanny
  • Wislanda Louimat as Mélissa
  • Mackenson Bijou as Clairvius
  • Katiana Milfort as Mambo Katy
  • Adilé David as Salomé
  • Ninon François as Romy
  • Mathilde Riu as Adèle
  • Patrick Boucheron as History teacher
  • Nehémy Pierre-Dahomey as Baron Samedi
  • Ginite Popote as Francina
  • Sayyid El Alami as Pablo
  • Saadia Bentaieb as Superintendent

Release

The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2019.[5] It was released in France on 12 June 2019.[6]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 86% based on 83 reviews, and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "If the strain of its ambitious juggling act sometimes shows, Zombi Child remains an entertainingly audacious experience, enlivened with thought-provoking themes."[7] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 74 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

References

  1. ^ "Zombi Child (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Zombi Child (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (4 April 2019). "Cannes: 'Deerskin' With Jean Dujardin to Open Directors' Fortnight". Variety. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  4. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (23 April 2019). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight Unveils Genre-Heavy 2019 Selection". Screen International. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  5. ^ Baronnet, Brigitte; Sardet, Yoann (14 May 2019). "The Dead Don't Die, Dernier Train pour Busan... 4 films de zombies passés par Cannes". AlloCiné. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (9 May 2019). "Playtime all set to brandish Zombi Child and The Bare Necessity at Cannes". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Zombi Child (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Zombi Child". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 January 2020.