GLENN HEATH: It's this very clever spin on a classic tale of the lower classes rising up and taking control of their own destiny when government falls apart and. Like Juan, who sees the zombie apocalypse an opportunity to start a business - killing loved ones when they rise from the dead. GLENN HEATH: It takes the Cuba-West relationship and treats it in an incredibly savvy and ironic way where the zombies are called dissidents or people that are trying to rebel against the communist regime and yet there are all these capitalist impulses running through the everyday citizens.

Heath says the film uses zombies as the perfect blank slate for social commentary. They're dissidents paid for by the United States. JUAN 3 TV news - dissidents financed by the United States. Then they think the people are possessed and try exorcism.īut then the government informs them of what the flesh eating creatures really are. The title character, who looks like a Cuban John Turturro, initially doesn't know what to make of the reanimated corpses.įirst he and his friends think they are vampires and try staking them. He's happy to see 'Juan of the Dead' brought back to life for a week-long engagement at UltraStar Mission Valley. Glenn Heath is a programmer for the San Diego Latino Film Festival. GLENN HEATH: Well I think Juan of the Dead being from Cuba really establishes the sense of resiliency in the characters the sense that no matter what happens, if it's extreme poverty or zombie apocalypse that they will be able to overcome through this resourcefulness. Beth will be introducing the 8:30pm shows tonight and tomorrow. TAG: 'Juan of the Dead' plays tonight through Thursday at the UltraStar Mission Valley Theaters at Hazard Center. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando has this review of Cuba's first zombie film, 'Juan of the Dead.' ANCHOR INTRO: The San Diego Latino Film Festival kicks off its 13th annual fall film series, Cinema En Tu Idioma, by bringing back one of the most popular films from their spring festival.

Shaun of the dead google doc