The Dead Don't Hurt

Ein Western-Melodrama über eine starke Hauptheldin, die das grausame Schicksal zeigt, das Frauen im amerikanischen Westen in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts oft erlebten. Der Film ist auch mit Kritik an der Straffreiheit der wohlhabenden Elite durchwoben, die alles und jeden kaufen und die Justiz zu ihrem Vorteil beugen kann. Krieps und Mortensen sind in den Hauptrollen gut, kommen oft ohne Worte aus, nur mit präziser und umfassender Mimik, und Solly McLeod als gefährlicher Verrückter sekundiert ihnen gekonnt als Hauptantagonist. Die malerischen Landschaften und die rührende Musik (ebenfalls von Mortensen) bleiben im Gedächtnis haften. Die Handlung hat jedoch drei Zeitebenen, zwischen denen sie ziemlich unbeholfen hin und her springt, was eine unangenehme Überraschung ist. Außerdem bereichert die Linie, die der Kindheit der Heldin gewidmet ist, die Geschichte kaum, und die nicht lineare Anordnung der einzelnen Ereignisse verhindert leider, dass die kathartischen und emotionalen Momente richtig zur Geltung kommen. (30.06.2024)

(KVIFF 2024) When I first looked at the synopsis, the plot of The Dead Don’t Hurt reminded me a lot of the twenty years older Cold Mountain, which also dealt with the separation of two partners due to the man's enlistment in the army and the related plight of a lonely woman in 19th century America. Viggo Mortensen, who directed, wrote, starred and scored the film, tells the story of Vivienne and Holger, for whom life has provided beautiful but also bitter moments, and you can feel that Mortensen has put a lot of effort into the film. From an audiovisual point of view, it is a well done piece with beautiful locations and spare music, but in terms of narrative I was bothered by the sometimes rather random jumps between the three time planes; I was also surprised by the creative decision to give away one of the important plot twists right at the beginning. Better three stars! (29.06.2024)

The Dead Don’t Hurt is predictable and kitschy to the point of being naïve, and the logic behind the main character’s encounter with the villain before the final settling of accounts is ridiculous, to put it mildly. And if we don’t know how to bring it to a conclusion, we show the ocean. Which works for adding depth, but it is a cheap trick that can be applied to any drama. Vicky Krieps’s acting is the only above-average component of the film. Viggo Mortensen is a likable guy and an admirable acting chameleon, and it's fine that he’s taking a stab at his own creative works, but… [Karlovy Vary International Film Festival] (06.07.2024)

Viggo Mortensen delivers his directorial, writing, producing, acting and ultimately composing feat set in California in the second half of the 19th century. The arguably all-around excellent Vicky Krieps shines here as Vivienne, a girl who, though solidly off the rails, feels firsthand during the course of the story how hard it was to be a woman in the Wild West. Mortensen shows himself to be a decent craftsman behind the camera, but his storytelling style is a bit ham-fisted (the jumps back and forth in time feel a bit out of place) and his darkness is, with all due respect, dull. In any case, you'll be very pleased with the nicely shot and first-rate California locations and the chemistry that works very well between the film's two leads. [KVIFF 2024] (29.06.2024)