WINTERTIDE

Beth is a volunteer on the night-watch patrol through the snowy streets of a sleepy little northern town in Canada. While never a particularly lively place, things have lately taken a turn for the worse. Something mysterious happened a couple of months ago and ever since there’s no more sunlight. Everybody is forced to take meds to fight off depression. So far it sounds like your typical Belgian winter, but wait! Most people have simply vanished. Beth is the only ‘remainer’ for at least 15 blocks. And some others have turned into numb zombies. So basically, our COVID-19 crisis was peanuts compared to what these folks are going through. But hey, at least they don’t have social distancing. And Beth is determined to enjoy to the fullest one of the few pleasures humanity has got left by welcoming new men and women into her bed each night. It’s this kinky desire that keeps her flame burning in this cold, cold winter. However, the percentage of people she shags that later turn into zombies seems to be suspiciously high… Lord knows how many zombie flicks we’ve seen in our lives. But we have to say, WINTERTIDE is one of the most original spins on the formula we’ve encountered. Director John Barnard brings to mind Cronenberg sr., not only thematically – mingling our beloved flesh-eating figure with themes of sex, body-doubles, depression and pandemics – but also stylistically, with lingering shots and impressively immersive sound design.