The Dead Don't Die

The 2019 American absurdist zombie comedy film, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, serves as a metacinematic piece blending satire and social commentary. Set in the fictional town of Centerville, police Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and officer Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) encounter bizarre occurrences: daylight persists after sunset, clocks and phones malfunction, and the recently deceased rise from their graves. They are joined by the eccentric funeral home owner Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton), skilled with a samurai sword. Alongside other townspeople, including officer Mindy Morrison (Chloë Sevigny), store owner Bobby Wiggins (Caleb Landry Jones), farmer Frank Miller (Steve Buscemi), and hipster travelers Zoe (Selena Gomez), Jack (Austin Butler), and Zack (Luka Sabbat), they strive to combat the zombie outbreak, with the undead drawn to items significant in their past lives, such as coffee or wine. The film is replete with pop culture references and self-referential humor, featuring scenes where characters acknowledge they are in a movie and discuss the script. Zelda, revealed to be an alien, departs Earth in a UFO, leaving the remaining characters to face the zombies. The film explores themes of ecological disasters, consumerism, and societal apathy, using zombies as a metaphor to critique modern life. Despite its star-studded cast and unique style, the film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $15.3 million worldwide.​