abed

WARNING: At the request of the wonderful Elizabeth Massie it is my duty to warn you that this post does indeed contain spoilers. This is just a warning and I hope it in no way deters you from reading the review or seeing the film. Thank you.

Abed

Directed by Ryan Leiske

Screenplay by Ryan Leiske

Based on the short story by Elizabeth Massie

Starring

Rachel Finan as Meggie

Vickie Deshaw-Fairman as Mama

Daniel E. Falicki as Quint

 Did you ever have one of those married friends whose mother just would not leave him alone to make her a grandmother? I’m talking about the kind of woman who would, if given the chance, hop right into bed with hubby and wife to show them where to put what in order to get the proper results nine months later. Okay, you got that mental picture embedded in your mind? Good, now take that image and add the fact that the hubby is a now a drooling, decaying zombie and the wife is still a lovely and very much alive woman. Then add in Mama to stimulate her (yes, that way) and to get a rise out of dear, dead son (yes, that way). Put all that together and you have “abed”, one of the most amazing (disturbing) short films I’ve seen in a long time. Based on the controversial story by Elizabeth Massie, director Ryan Leiske makes her story all the more shocking with visuals that stick in your mind long after the final credits roll.

A zombie plague has swept across the nation. Only a handful of people are still alive and doing the best they can to adapt to the new way of life. “abed” focuses on Meggy, Quint and Mama. When we first see mama it is when she calmly takes aim with a shotgun and blows the brains out of a zombie passing through her yard. This is when we realize that here is a woman who knows what she wants and what she needs to do to get it. Mama wants a granddaughter and her son Quint being dead sure as hell isn’t going to stop her from having one. The final minutes of the film will have your jaw doing double duty as a dust-pan.

I don’t want to be one of those critics who blow sunshine up the ass of the people they’re writing about. Director Ryan Leiske sent me a copy of “abed” to review and I intended to review it fairly and honestly. There are a couple of minor technical mistakes in the film, but they do nothing to take away from the impact of the story. ”abed” may not be “Night of the Living Dead” and Leiske may not be the next George Romero; but that shouldn’t matter. It’s an original film from an equally original story and I can truthfully say that if it’s any indication of his future as a filmmaker then his future is very bright indeed.

NO TRIVIA

Visit the “abed” facebook page.

½

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