Review of Portrait of a Zombie (2012) by Eugene F — 23 Sep 2012

A delightful genre cocktail (The Snapper meets Shaun of the Dead meets Val Lewton meets...) perfectly balancing moments of gut-wrenching laughter and gut-eating horror. Its depiction of a Dublin working-class family and a community riven by zombie plague effortlessly combines social analysis (tensions between family-community, omnivore vs.

carnivore, abortion, medical research, the Catholic church, etc.) and an intelligent approach to genre bending. The gorgeous cinematography, top-notch acting, compact editing and masterful sound design belie the movie's indie credentials.

It's totally enjoyable, engrossing, immersing you in a squalid Dublin working class netherworld infected with a communal bloodlust relieved only by ordinary human emotions. See this one. Zombie-movie aficionados will love its stomach-heaving set pieces; lovers of disturbing, psychological horror will appreciate its subtle night-terrors.

Bailey offers you a plate of meat if that's what you require...but with a nice salad on the side. This and Terry McMahon's equally-impressive Charlie Casanova make a strong case for an Independent Irish cinema.