POPCORN REVIEWSS

Written by the ever-so-talented Rian Johnson, the gaze that Wake Up Dead Man wishes to redirect is as much of a whydunnit as a whodunnit while subverting the concept of religion, faith and practicality in between. As an extention of the same, the characters hold a lot of importance in the mix based on the themes in play here. For instance when you are introduced to Wicks, you see his shadow pouring in on the cross – almost an indication of a God-like figure that could replace the Christ on the cross. His rage is specifically redirected to newbies of his church, leaving behind only a flock of people who would stand by his teachings that are driven by hate-speeches in a bid for absolute power. He represents the fascist take on religion by using it as a medium of hate and not love – a single sentence that can be equated to many world leaders today as well as the God-man that they have been supporting.

Given that this remains a whodunnit, many characters form the fabric of storytelling here – the devout servant of the church Martha (Glenn Close), a disabled former cellist Simone (Cailee Spaeny), an author wanting to sensationize his new novel Lee (Andrew Scott), a town doctor Dr Nat (Jeremy Renner) taking a liking for alcohol after the death of a loved one, a tightly wound lawyer Vera (Kerry Washington) tasked with having to take care of her half-brother and failed politician Cy (Daryl McCormack), and the sincere groundskeeper Samson (Thomas Haden Church). These might seem like regular characters but if you dig deeper into its subtext, every character is flawed and living a life of duality, with the themes of greed, hope, sensationism, alcoholism and faith being pivotal byproducts of every personality. And these materialistic traits further compromise of our society given how people are being killed in the name of religion across the globe at the behest of men like Wicks who enjoy absolute power (in the name of religion).

And given that this is a whodunnit too, you are also reacquainted with Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the stellar private investigator who joins the setup after the inclusion of murder. It must be noted that his teamwork with Father Jud isn’t a coincidence either but a subversive take on the dilemma between faith and practicality – with each trait being symbolic of the two characters. The contrasting tones are for everyone to see as well – the tone continues to remain serious, sedate and empathetic when the limelight is on Father Jud, while the tone branches into a quirky dark comedy with Blanc enjoying most of the punchlines.

The Biblical references in the drama cannot be denied as well, particularly with the inference of the murder that transpires on a Good Friday with a gothic twist in the tale being on Easter Sunday, presumably with the resurrection of the dead body (a direct reference to the dead and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ) – almost touching upon the concept of a ‘miracle’. There are inferences to religion too – given how a pizzeria is named Il Diavolo which literally translates to the ‘devil’, so much so that even devil-bound lamps double up as Chekof’s gun in the narrative. Or even the inference to ‘Road To Damascus’ literally translating into enlightenment or a change of heart (in the Bible, it signalled a sudden conversion into Christianity), that seamlessly establishes itself in the narrative. Or even the Eve’s Apple that represents temptation, an integral cog in the narrative too.

The writing remains complex and a little convoluted particularly given that the drama intends to be a closed door mystery, a nod to the novel The Hollow Man. And while the characters jostle for clues and hints, the subversive themes continues its gala run in subtly exposing the simmering corruption in the church – almost in the form of a revelation that adds clarity to the proceedings. If I were to look at the trajectory of the drama, it would resemble a flawed person who may have committed crimes throughout his life but later seeks for forgiveness in front of the Lord. It is interesting how every character is dealing with this sentiment of guilt – the guilt of having to resort to materialistic pleasures that makes everyone a suspect.

The stakes in the drama are raised even as the bodies begin to pile up but what really impressed me about the writing was the risk-prone final act – that began with theatrics and drama with revelations underway but soon paused the proceedings for an alternative revelation. This could have gone horribly wrong, particularly with the pause in momentum at the end. But the precision with which the drama circles back to the revelation – almost in the form of a confession to the priest, not only landed perfectly but also went perfectly with the theme of the drama that found its home in forgiveness. That remained the arc that found its completion in a brilliantly penned screenplay that absolutely hits it out of the park.