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Writer's pictureDan Brooks

"Die Alone (2024): A Zombie Apocalypse, Amnesia, and Why Finding Love is Harder Than Surviving"

Tells the story of a young man who has amnesia. He bands together with a rugged survivalist in a zombie-like outbreak to find his girlfriend.



You know, friends always thought I'd die alone...not figuratively, of course—I mean, sure, emotionally isolated with nothing but my unhealthy attachment to leftover pizza. But then along came a film like Die Alone to remind me that, in the event of a full-blown zombie apocalypse, I'd actually literally die alone. No rugged survivalist Frank Grillo to guide me through the end of days, no amnesiac friend like Douglas Smith to watch my back, and certainly no Carrie-Anne Moss-type to search for. Just me and my fridge of aging pepperoni slices. But enough about my sad existence—let's talk about this surprisingly thoughtful, albeit flawed, zombie flick.


Let me preface by saying I love a good zombie apocalypse movie. There's something about watching the slow collapse of humanity that really makes me feel better about missing my last credit card payment. But Die Alone isn’t your typical paint-by-numbers zombie movie. Oh no, it’s much more than that. There are layers here—thick, heavy layers of plot that, much like a bad onion, might make you cry a little if you peel them too quickly.


The story centers around a young man, played by the perpetually confused yet surprisingly endearing Douglas Smith, who has amnesia. He has no memory of who he is, what he's done, or—crucially—why he thought it was a good idea to get involved in this mess in the first place. He teams up with Frank Grillo’s rugged survivalist, a man who looks like he hasn't seen a shower since before the apocalypse started. Together, they embark on a journey to find Smith’s long-lost girlfriend, because if there's one thing more terrifying than flesh-eating zombies, it's the prospect of dating apps in a post-apocalyptic world.


What I Liked

Now, let me be clear—Die Alone is not the zombie movie you think you're getting. You know, the kind where people get torn apart left and right while you stuff popcorn in your face and feel superior about your non-existent cardio routine? Yeah, this isn't that. Instead, it's a movie with... gasp... depth. It's about memory, identity, survival, and how love (allegedly) transcends all that flesh-eating nonsense. There’s something truly beautiful about a guy who can't remember his past still desperately searching for a girlfriend whose name he can't quite recall. That's either love or Stockholm syndrome; jury’s still out.


The pacing? Yeah, it's a bit like trying to run through waist-deep mud with a zombie chewing on your leg, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First, let’s appreciate that this film dares to do something different. It’s got a brain—no pun intended—and it’s not afraid to use it. There’s tension, drama, and just enough existential dread to make you question whether finding a girlfriend is really worth all this hassle.


And the ending? Ooh, I can already see the internet rage-storm brewing. Most people are going to hate it. But I’m not most people. I loved it. It’s dark, it’s bleak, and it leaves you with that wonderful feeling of nihilism that makes you wonder why you even try to leave your apartment in the morning. In other words: it fits perfectly with the rest of the movie, even if it means there’s no neat little bow tied on top.


What I Disliked

But of course, no movie is perfect—except maybe The Godfather, and even that has way too much Marlon Brando mumbling for my taste. The biggest issue with Die Alone is its pacing. Oh boy, does it drag. And I don’t mean "drag" in the fun, zombie-guts-are-spilling-out way. I mean that there are moments where it feels like the film is going through the motions like your uncle telling that same story about the time he met a guy who knew a guy who once worked with Burt Reynolds. We get it, things are bad, zombies are bad, memories are bad—can we move along now?


And don’t get me started on the flashbacks and flash-forwards. Look, I get it, non-linear storytelling is trendy right now, but at times I felt like I was stuck in a time warp. One minute we’re in the present, next minute we’re in the past, and by the time we’re back to the present again, I’ve forgotten where we started. It’s a little too Christopher Nolan for its own good, and I say that as someone who still hasn’t recovered from Tenet.


Fun Facts (You Can Drop at Parties—if People Still Have Those)

Here’s a fun little tidbit for the three people reading this who care about Hollywood gossip: Carrie-Anne Moss and Steven Roy, who plays a side character in Die Alone, are actually married in real life. They've been hitched since 1999, which in Hollywood years is like being married for 50 years. Apparently, Die Alone marks their second on-screen collaboration since The Matrix Resurrections, where I’m sure they spent most of the time arguing over whether or not Keanu’s real name is actually "Neo."


But here’s the real kicker—Elizabeth Hodgson, the executive producer of this film, has been managing Carrie-Anne Moss since she was fresh out of The Matrix. This is Hodgson’s first producing gig, and let me tell you, she did not play it safe. A zombie apocalypse film with an amnesiac lead and a confusing time-jumping narrative? Yeah, that's a bold move for a first-timer. Kudos to you, Elizabeth—although maybe next time, let’s trim the fat a little on the flashbacks.


Oh, and did you know this film almost didn’t happen? Writer-director Lowell Dean penned the script before Wolfcop (yes, that Wolfcop), but it languished in limbo until Telefilm Canada decided it was time to throw some maple syrup-sweet funding at it. The rest, as they say, is history—or, in this case, post-apocalyptic chaos.


Final Thoughts

In the end, Die Alone is a zombie film with heart—and not in the way zombies like to rip your heart out and chew on it. It’s got some meaty ideas about identity and survival, and while it might not be everybody's cup of herbal tea, it’s certainly a film that’ll leave you thinking. And hey, if the slow pacing and the confusing timeline don’t do it for you, there’s always Frank Grillo shooting zombies in the face to keep you entertained.


I give it a solid 7.0 out of 10. If you're into more than just mindless gore and want a zombie flick with some depth, give Die Alone a shot. You might even remember why you started watching in the first place—unlike our poor amnesiac hero.



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