Juan of the Dead

This is the movie Miami has been frothing at the mouth over. It's more than just the world's first Cuban zombie comedy, and more than just another wry treat from the fertile imagination of Argentine-born Alejandro Brugues. The joke of this arch political satire is that 50 years after Castro's Revolution, the citizens of Havana have been turned into shuffling, mindless zombies...but who can tell the difference? Only Juan (Alexis Diaz de Villegas) and his rag-tag squad, that's who. While state officials insist the zombie epidemic are isolated incidents incited by US government-backed dissidents, Juan sees it as an opportunity to make a buck and sets-up a "zombie-busters" hotline. "Juan of the Dead, we kill your beloved ones," he happily answers as his business takes off...Mayhem has never been this funny, or politically charged. Underlying it all is a grand affection for the land and loved ones, and the surprise ending is poignant, unexpected and touchingly fitting to Brugues and his hero. description courtesy of the Miami International Film Festival.