#POLISH PREMIERE | fear and terror | crisis | thriller | Mexico | border | illegal immigrants | system | horror | neo western | grumpy thriller | border patrol | humanity | tension | darkness

DEADLAND

thriller | Western | USA, Venezuela | 2023
World premiere: SXSW South by Southwest 2023
Polish premiere: Splat!FilmFest

GRUMPY NEO-WESTERN ABOUT CROSSING THE LINE

The Mexico-United States border. A border guard Angel Waters finds an illegal immigrant in the river. Convinced that he’s dead, he puts the body in the black bag and closes it with a zipper. But the man suddenly wakes up. And turns the life of Angel and two other board guards into a nightmare.

„Deadland” is a grumpy thriller in which questions about humanity and morality are as important as tension that increases every minute of the movie. The viewers can also find magical realism, a family drama (Angel is about to become a father and still figures out if he should make up with his own) and a broad political background. The director of the movie, Lance Larson, explains that he got an inspiration for „Deadland” when he was reading about the first generation of Latino board guards: internally conflicted men, unwilling to serve for the American system. His movie is a representation of grumpy cinema, not the easiest to get over after the screening. It’s a model combination of many genres and deeper message and at the same time: it’s still a solid thriller. A thriller with a vibe build up by dim colors, patterns known from horror movies and poetic (yet not pretentious) narration.

And it’s cast is absolutely excellent. Angel is portrayed by Roberto Urbina, famous for his role in a TV series „Narcos”. Julieth Restrepo („Loving Pablo”) and McCaul Lombardi („American Honey”) play the role of Angel’s friends, also entangled in this situation. Fans of classics of the horror genre will surely recognize Chris Mulkey („The Hidden”, „Ghost in the Machine”) and fans of drug cartels will immediately spot Manuel Uriza („Narcos: Mexico”).

director: Lance Larson
screenwriter: Lance Larson, Jas Shelton, David Elliot
cast: Roberto Urbina, Julieth Restrepo, McCaul Lombardi, Chris Mulkey, Manuel Uriza
photography: Jas Shelton
music: Christopher Dean White
language: English, Spanish
subtitles: Polish, English
duration: 1h 32min
recommended age: 16+