If we have to start from the beginning, this story has to be traced back to a few years ago ... The earth has changed because of the radiation of a large-scale transit cosmic dust storm, which not only makes the dead climb out of the grave again, but also becomes a zombie with endless desire for the flesh and blood of the living. Terror spreads rapidly and the zombie population is increasing. Until an epoch-making necklace was invented, it could not only stop the invasion of zombies, but also make them docile and even become human servants. So, driven by unlimited business opportunities and interests, a company came into being: zombie company.
People all over the world should thank the zombie company for developing the "domestication" collar, which has been patented. With it, zombies are no longer afraid of eating people, but become gardeners, milkmen, servants and even tireless pets. Zombie companies have been promoting their own "domestication" collars, which not only allow them to control zombies, but also control the whole world. But all this, is it true?
At least one person in this world doesn't think so. He is Timmy Robinson Jr, a somewhat cynical child who thinks that the world itself is a place where black and white are reversed. As a "lone ranger", Timmy spends most of his time in his room, and even his parents almost forget that he has such a son.
Timmy was very surprised when her mother Helen planned to buy a zombie to do housework. Timmy couldn't restrain her curiosity about this creature that can play hide-and-seek with herself and shouldn't exist in this world, but she just watched from a distance ... The turning point appeared at an accidental opportunity. Zombies saved Timmy from a group of hooligans, and there was a friendship between zombies and humans, so Timmy gave the zombie a name.
Unfortunately, however, the collar of the violin was broken, and the neighbors living around Robinson's house suffered one after another. It seems that there is only one fate waiting for the violin ... When Mr. Butterms, a well-known zombie control expert of the zombie company, also moved to the street where Robinson lived, the situation was further complicated. The friendship between a little boy and his "pet" finally evolved into the most important thing for us in the world. This is a kind zombie comedy film, and director Andrew Currie has re-enriched and combed all the elements of this kind of film. It can be seen that it uses considerable style and wisdom.
-Watch Weekly
Since movies combine at least six movie types anyway, you don't have to take it too seriously.
-"Daily News"
The movie is a joke, but this joke exploring all possibilities is just right.
-"Hollywood Report"
The only highlight is the 8-minute "saturday night live" sketch in the film.
-International Film Magazine
Because this story gives us a very absurd assumption, you can forgive a few minor flaws in this process.
-The Toronto Star Confessions of Andrew Currie
Andrew Currie, the screenwriter and director of this film, seems to have always liked to boldly provoke or secretly provoke the works of conventional film types. However, as a form of storytelling, it is inevitable that genre films have to follow the formula, while Currie has a special liking for those films that follow the rules on the surface but are full of cynicism in their bones. He hopes to redefine the meaning of movies in a brand-new and special way. For example, Blue Velvet basically follows the framework of film noir, and then it is interspersed with detective stories and sitcoms ... Similarly, there are Fantasy, Kill Bill, Rhapsody in a Dirty Shop and Edward Scissorhands, all of which are telling their stories in an "anti" type of movie. Currie said: "As a filmmaker, I think it is actually very interesting to wander between two or more different film types, the owner and the second." First of all, you should set the general style of the theme of the story, and then you can often get deeper meaning in the role and theme by changing the focus and scene of the discussion. "
As for Fido the Zombie, Andrew Currie's original intention was to make it into a sitcom, then show it to the society with irony and humor, and finally add some elements of the film "Man and Dog" ... Of course, it was basically a zombie film, but it was just put into a colorful world with 1950s style.
1997, Andrew Currie filmed a short film called Night of the Living, and described it as a "private horror film", telling the story of a little boy whose alcoholic father fell off the carriage and continued to drink ... The boy didn't understand the true meaning of his father's behavior, so he judged this situation as "his father is becoming a zombie". Of course, short films will not avoid the shooting techniques needed for a horror movie, such as lighting, music, timbre and so on. Implanting the boy's imagination into a very real world can help the story study the subtle emotional changes between father and son. So in Fido the Zombie, I hope this theme can be further deepened. The story still focuses on the poor communication between children and parents, but it has reached a higher level. The theme of the film is related to the human heart, that is,' alive' exists in this world in the form of normal people. Then we use zombies to compare' others'-those who have lost their humanity. The biggest irony of zombie FIDO is that zombies, as servants of this family, are more like a' living' person than their father. "
At the same time, Fido the Zombie is also a satire on the current social and political situation. To some extent, this film is more like a fable, because the story it tells is not completely true. Andrew Currie said, "I have always liked Douglas Seker's bold use of visual impact in his works. I also like that he borrowed the model of sitcom and then added the corresponding imagination to comment on a social problem. Therefore, I purposely made "Fido the Zombie" have many similarities with Shekel's films, which is also my greatest inspiration for making this film. The zombie here is a vague metaphor. I don't want to classify zombies as a special species-such as the drunkard in my short film, but I want to provide the audience with a different perspective to cut into the story through zombies. "
In other words, this film is based on a kind of "xenophobia". Obviously, zombies are "others" in this society, so what do they mean? The answer will vary according to the identity of the questioner. Generally speaking, "xenophobia" represents the fear of "others" and is the most popular and dangerous political weapon. Andrew Currie discovered this universal "fear" in society, so he decided to create a story environment to reflect the danger brought by this emotion.
Besides, Andrew Currie likes to tell a relatively serious story in a humorous way: the central theme of Fido the Zombie is father, love, not fear. Bill is a living person swallowed up by fear. He is afraid of getting close to his son and then having emotional communication. Bill is a typical representative who cannot overcome his inner fears. He can help us effectively understand the theme of the film and the hidden harm in the living world. It is this role that makes us feel that a dead person, Fidel, is more like a living person with flesh and blood.
About shooting
The film was shot in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in eastern British Columbia, Canada, where there are rolling mountains, clear and cool rivers and lush vineyards. At the same time, the crew also found an amazing picture here, which perfectly reproduced the nostalgic style of the 1950 s needed by the Robinson family in the film. The artist Rob Gray said: "When I came to Okinagan Valley, I was overwhelmed by the nostalgic atmosphere ... I also found that if I wanted to set up a zombie company in the film, I should restore the characteristics of the advertising industry in the 1950s-I remember that it was a morning when I woke up from a hangover. I drove behind a Mercedes-Benz and saw three sets of lines on the hood for decoration, which was very balanced. I suddenly found inspiration from it. I changed these three lines slightly and turned them into the logo of a zombie company, indicating that there is no concept of' living' here. "
Indeed, Rob Gray mentioned many 1950s models in the scene, and even the name of the zombie company came from a car made by Ford ... All this made people believe that the world after World War II was developing and progressing. Gray said, "What makes us most happy is that there is a huge antique car club in Okanagan Valley. There are dozens of well-preserved antique cars in it, and we just take them away and turn them into scooters for zombie companies. I don't know if it's because the air quality in Okanagan Valley is special. None of these cars are rusty or look old. I feel that I have really returned to the past, the era of producing cars. "
The crew also found an abandoned whisky distillery in Okanagan Valley, which was transformed into a zombie company, and it also strengthened the belief that Robert Gray chose this place as the movie scene. Andrew Currie said: "It is a perfect choice to transform the brewery into the headquarters of a zombie company, because the zombie company in the film represents not only a company, but also the political power at that time, and it is the only symbol of power for Willard and even the normal operation of the world. Because only zombie companies can bring security to human beings, make zombies docile, and even monopolize people's daily consumables ... It is really an unexpected surprise for us to find such a suitable place to be a zombie company. " Bill robinson: Now, I know you shouldn't have a pistol until you are twelve ... but it will come in handy.
Bill robinson: Now, I know you won't have a pistol until you are 12 years old ... but it will come in handy sooner or later.
Bill robinson: I would say that I am a very good father. My father wants to eat me. I don't remember wanting Timmy.
Helen Robinson: Bill, just because your father wants to eat you means that we are all unhappy?
Bill robinson: What I want to say is that I am a good father ... My father wanted to eat me, but I don't remember thinking about eating Timmy.
Helen Robinson: Bill, does this mean that all of us have to experience misfortune because your father tried to eat you?
Mr. Bottoms: They're not particularly fast, are they?
Mr Butterms: they are not particularly fast, are they?
Student: (singing) in the brain, not the chest. Head shots are the best.
Schoolboy (singing): It's the head, not the chest. A headshot is the best choice.
Priest: Please carry the coffin.
Priest: Coffin, please go forward.