And the zombie films continue…this time Virus: 32 is from a country we don’t get to see many films from – Uruguay. Unlike the romantic comedy genre, filmmakers of zombie films have to be applauded as they do try to change things up a little with some different twists inserted instead of going back time and time again to the same well. Here we get zombies who take a pause giving uninfected humans a respite and a window of opportunity. Opportunity to get rid of monsters.
Not surprising actually that zombie films keep getting made as this is a time of a pandemic caused by a virus. So being preconceived by viruses that can “change” humans seems natural. Director Gustavo Hernandez (You Shall Not Sleep, The Silent House) and writer Juma Fodde (You Shall Not Sleep) work together again on Virus: 32.
A virus is on the loose! It is very contagious and turns humans into very violent, uber fast and quite intelligent zombies. Humans fall to them as the zombies suffer from a fever that only abates when they feed. Victims are those who have not caught the virus yet. After a period, a couple of human survivors in Montevideo seem to have discovered a loophole.
Iris (Paula Silva – In the Quarry) and her daughter have spent a day in a sports club, where Iris works as a security guard, and are not aware of what is happening outside. Hope comes out of the fact that it seems that after the zombies eat/feed they seem to shut down for 32 seconds recovering. A slight window. Slight but something is better than nothing at this point.
Though there is a twist here in the typical zombie tale it does still borrow heavily from other zombie films. Especially ones like 28 Days Later. Despite this, it is still a film to watch.
What stands out here is the pace. It goes full out. Takes your breath away at times. The pace is amplified by the cool shots in certain scenes. Cinematographer Fermin Torres (One Damn of a Weekend, Multitudes), who has shot a few documentaries as well as films, gives us some original looking visuals. This combined with the decent acting and directing makes for a fun watch for fans of the genre.
Available exclusively on Shudder.