Death Of Me was created under the auspices of Saw 2-4 and Saw: Spiral director Darren Lynn Bousman. For the filmmaker best known for the popular torture horror series, this is quite extraordinary work. Of course, it also comes down to business here, and the FSK pulls out its blood-red “18+” seal for a reason. However, “Death Of Me” is not primarily a horror slasher, but a hard-hitting psychological thriller that gradually unravels a mystery shrouded in mystery.
“Death Of Me” can be seen today, January 20, 2023 at 11:55 PM on Tele 5. If the date does not suit you, you can also stream the film for free until January 25 via the broadcaster’s media library. Of course, the title is also available for purchase or rent from online retailers such as Amazon on DVD and Blu-ray or as video-on-demand:
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This is the story of “Death Of Me”
It was supposed to be a romantic getaway on a Thai island paradise for married couple Neil (Luke Hemsworth) and Christine (Maggie Q). But the vacation turns into a nightmare when the couple wake up one morning in their luxury beach shack with battered bodies and clothes stained with blood and dirt and suffering from partial amnesia.
What happened to them? The local servants act ignorant, and the one clue the two find is extremely disturbing. Because a video on camera of Neil shows him brutally attacking and eventually killing his wife before burying her body in the wilderness. But how is that possible? After all, Christine is probably still alive.
As the locals begin to behave strangely, Christine and Neil are suddenly haunted by terrifying visions of a diabolical ritual. As a result, the two panic more and more and want to flee. But the next ferry won’t dock for 24 hours. To make matters worse, a severe typhoon is announced for the coming night, threatening to destroy the island…
Horror for a paradise setting
The psychological shocker by director Darren Lynn Bousman shows how innocence combined with a bit of ignorance puts two tourists in an extremely uncomfortable situation. “Death Of Me” also makes use of mystery or folk horror cinema, which is why there are also parallels with the 1970s classic “The Wicker Man” or Ari Aster’s much newer “Midsommar”.
The action and location of Thailand and the many story details that are explicitly tailored to it, make the film pleasantly different from its predecessors.
The American director, who had previously carried out projects in Bangladesh, Japan or Spain, worked here almost exclusively with local actors and crew members at his own request. As a result, translators were required for each of his staging instructions, whose knowledge of English was obviously not necessarily perfect. Therefore, shooting in some very remote locations was anything but easy. However, according to interviews, Bousman feels many times compensated for the extra stress by the beautiful, unique nature and the authentic performances of his local actors.
However, the two Western stars played the main roles in “Death Of Me”. You know the Hawaiian Maggie Q from action blockbusters like “Mission: Impossible III” and “Die Hard 4.0” and also from the popular TV series “Nikita” or “Designated Survivor”. Luke Hemsworth can be seen next to her. The Australian is the older brother of Marvel superstar Chris (“Thor”). His most prominent role to date has been as Security Chief Stubbs in all four seasons of Westworld.
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