Handling the Undead 2024

After an inexplicable and eerie event causes the deceased to return, three grieving families find themselves faced with the shocking resurrection of loved ones. Among them is Mahler, who has been mourning the loss of his young grandson Elias, the child of his daughter Anna. Another is David, who is still reeling from the premature death of his wife Eva. Lastly, there is Tora, who is deeply affected by the passing of her partner Elisabet.

The story begins with Mahler visiting Elias’s grave when the mysterious event unfolds. Suddenly, he collapses, only to find himself awakening across the grave. In a desperate move, he digs up the coffin and is astonished to discover Elias alive, albeit in an alarming condition. He takes the child home, where the already traumatized Anna, returning from her night shift, is met with chaos as she finds Elias in bed. Overwhelmed by the surreal turn of events, she plunges into despair, leading her to attempt to take her own life until Mahler intervenes just in time to save her.

Simultaneously, David grapples with his own grief at work when the catastrophic event occurs. He receives a panicked call informing him of Eva’s accident and rushes to the hospital only to discover that she has died before he could arrive. In a shocking twist, while grieving by her side, Eva unexpectedly begins to breathe again, leaving the hospital staff in a state of confusion.

As the story unfolds, Oslo transforms into a surreal environment where the deceased walk amongst the living, lost in a trance and unable to express themselves. Streets become crowded with the resurrected souls, many of whom desperately try to escape their graves, adding to the chaos and confusion surrounding the living.

In her struggle to cope with Elisabet’s death, Tora attempts to restore normalcy by bathing and dressing her. However, this act leads to a terrifying encounter when Elisabet, now altered, viciously attacks Tora.

In search of solace, Mahler and Anna retreat to a secluded cottage with Elias, hoping to find peace in isolation. Yet, Elias’s peculiar behavior and the pervasive smell of decay fuel Anna’s dread. As tensions rise, Anna finds herself alone at the cottage with Elias after taking a swim. Upon her return, she stumbles upon a decomposing man near the cottage. As Mahler arrives just in time to battle the intruder, he suffers a fatal injury from a vicious bite to his throat. While chaos ensues, Anna escapes with Elias in a rowboat, seeking safety.

David, determined to understand the phenomenon, reaches out to the hospital but receives no updates regarding Eva’s condition. He attempts to push forward with life alongside his children, Flora and Kian, even preparing to celebrate Kian’s birthday. A visit to Eva at the hospital takes a dark turn when she holds Kian’s pet bunny, only to crush it mindlessly in a trance. Flora quietly remarks, “Mom is dead,” which forces David to confront the harsh reality of their situation.

As events continue to spiral, Elisabet appears fully transformed, having committed a tragic act by killing Tora in her sleep. Meanwhile, Kian, struggling under the weight of his grief, holds a private burial ceremony for his beloved bunny in the woods. The narrative closes with Anna and Elias drifting away on a rowboat, where she lovingly tells him she loves him before gently placing him in the water, watching as he sinks beneath the surface. The haunting imagery and emotional turmoil encapsulate the depths of sorrow and the complexities of life after death in this gripping tale.