Review of The Dead Girl (2006) by Gabriel K — 06 Dec 2010

One life ends. Six others begin.

The Dead Girl is an expertly made film, cleverly broken up into five separate, but linked, chapters, which all succeed masterfully in different ways. Each features an actresses working at the very best of their ability, from Toni Collette all the way through to Brittany Murphy. The film never feels contrived or calculated like the overrated Crash, not only because the linkage is understated but because each chapter can hold up on its own - the fact that they connect to the title of the film in some way merely makes for a more satisfying experience. The Dead Girl is often very depressing, and the downbeat and quietly sad ending enforces this, but as the tag suggests, the death that encompasses the film becomes a catalyst for kick starting other characters lives, so there is also an element of hope. At only 90 minutes, The Dead Girl just about manages to tell a complete story, which is no mean feat given the various complex, dark themes explored. Karen Moncrieff's film is, given the subject manner, oddly unassuming and perhaps because of that, very successful.