Must Love Death

Released: 2009

Directed by: Andreas Schaap

Starring: Sami Loris, Manon Kahle, Jeff Burrell, Peter Farkas, Philipp Rafferty, Lucie Pohl Katjana Gerz and Tobias Schenke

Genre: Comedy, Horror , Romance

Quick Review:

Must Love Death is a delightful romantic comedy with real heart - bloody, gory heart that is. It’s this blending of cheesy romance films like “Must Love Dogs” and “The Wedding Planner” with the less flesh friendly films along the lines of “Hostel” and the “Saw” franchise. While I did find the romantic comedy aspects dragged on a little too long, I really enjoyed all the cliques the filmmakers incorporated as a way of satirizing the genre.

Full Review:

Must Love Death was made by a group of German film students. Their passion for film is recognizable right from the beginning. The film is made within the same vein as the 2004 romantic zombie film Shaun of the Dead, where it uses a large number of its genre cliques to both poke fun at it, as well as do the genre some justice.

The film is about Norman (Sami Loris), a lonely guy struggling to find a woman that truly understands him, while dealing with his suicide obsession. The majority of the film is shot in a fragmented timeline slightly similar to Pulp Fiction. The film jumps between Norman meeting and falling in love with Jennifer (Manon Kahle) to Norman being trapped inside a cabin, tortured by two slightly homoerotic budding murderers.

Once the torturers have captured all their victims, they decide to film all their exploits as if it were a game show. The lead torturer and 'game show host', Sean (Jeff Burrell) also appears to be attempting to breakdown the fourth wall, by regularly speaking directly to the camera (audience) about who’s going to be tortured next, while his partner is holding his own camera. While Sean can be seen talking to the audience, the rest of the cast seem puzzled, as if he’s gone completely insane.

While watching the film, it's clear that the people involved are true film lovers. There are a plethora of film references, such as Norman going through all the weapons inside the shed similar to Buck in Pulp Fiction. Also, there's a clear resemblance between Norman’s favourite television show, that Jennifer is also associated with, and the classic Star Trek episodes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film for its quirky humor and over the top gore. While I feel that the romantic segments of the film ran a little too long, I feel it is an excellent mix of the two genres and is well worth checking out.

SHARP OBJEX Rating: 3.5 out of 4