About American Zombie
Director: Grace Lee
Cast: Austin Basis, Suzy Nakamura, Al Vicente, Jane Edith Wilson, John Solomon, Grace Lee
Runtime: 91 minutes
Filmmakers Grace Lee (The Grace Lee Project) and John Solomon (Nonsense
Man) team up to shoot a documentary about high-functioning zombies living in
Los Angeles and their struggles to gain acceptance in human society. Despite
their wildly different working styles, the two manage to chronicle the hopes
and dreams of four fascinating subjects: IVAN, a convenience-store clerk who
longs for a career in publishing; LISA, a florist trying to recover her lost
memories; JUDY, a hopeless romantic who learns to accept her true nature;
and JOEL, a committed political activist striving for zombie rights. As Grace
strives to get to know the zombies “on their own terms,” John is eager to
uncover their darker side and rallies to get the crew permission to shoot at a
three-day, zombies-only retreat called Live Dead. What transpires there is
beyond anything the filmmakers could imagine, as they are forced to
reevaluate their ideas about tolerance, identity politics, and the future of the
human race.
Although unquestionably a dark comedy, AMERICAN ZOMBIE, unravels and
expands into the realm of personal documentary and horror, providing a fresh
take on the zombie movie genre. The film blurs the line between fiction and
reality, incorporating verité and found footage and borrowing elements from
the filmmakers’ and subjects’ own backgrounds to create a personal horror film
about life in 21st century America.
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