The Dead Don't Hurt

Viggo Mortensen delivers his directorial, writing, producing, acting and ultimately composing feat set in California in the second half of the 19th century. The arguably all-around excellent Vicky Krieps shines here as Vivienne, a girl who, though solidly off the rails, feels firsthand during the course of the story how hard it was to be a woman in the Wild West. Mortensen shows himself to be a decent craftsman behind the camera, but his storytelling style is a bit ham-fisted (the jumps back and forth in time feel a bit out of place) and his darkness is, with all due respect, dull. In any case, you'll be very pleased with the nicely shot and first-rate California locations and the chemistry that works very well between the film's two leads. [KVIFF 2024] (06/29/2024)

This western melodrama about a strong female protagonist who suffers the cruel fate that women in the American West often experienced in the second half of the 19th century is pervaded with criticism of the wealthy elite, who are not subject to punishment and can buy everything and everyone and bend justice to their own benefit. Krieps and Mortensen are good in the lead roles and occasionally make do only with precise, wordless expressions that say everything, and Solly McLeod capably supports them in his role as the main antagonist, a dangerous headcase. The picturesque landscapes and poignant music (also by Mortensen) are especially memorable. However, the plot is unpleasantly disjointed due to the narrative being divided into three time levels, between which it constantly and somewhat laboriously jumps back and forth. Furthermore, the storyline focused on the heroine’s childhood does not enrich the story much and the non-linear arrangement of individual events unfortunately makes it impossible for the cathartic and emotional moments to resonate properly. (06/30/2024)

(KVIFF 2024) When I first looked at the synopsis, the plot of The Dead Don’t Hurt reminded me a lot of the twenty years older Cold Mountain, which also dealt with the separation of two partners due to the man's enlistment in the army and the related plight of a lonely woman in 19th century America. Viggo Mortensen, who directed, wrote, starred and scored the film, tells the story of Vivienne and Holger, for whom life has provided beautiful but also bitter moments, and you can feel that Mortensen has put a lot of effort into the film. From an audiovisual point of view, it is a well done piece with beautiful locations and spare music, but in terms of narrative I was bothered by the sometimes rather random jumps between the three time planes; I was also surprised by the creative decision to give away one of the important plot twists right at the beginning. Better three stars! (06/29/2024)