DAY 153--I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS

The 2003 film I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS is better than most zombie shorts I've seen, due in large part to director Miguel Angel Vivas's keen visual sense. This 18-minute Portuguese production, infused with an obvious love of Italian horror (to both its benefit and detriment), makes up for its one-dimensional storyline with an impressive use of lighting and composition.

The story centers on a young man named Lucio (sigh) and his relationship with his wife, who he let become turned into a zombie after catching her with another man. when Lucio brings home a woman after rescuing her from a pub-crawling brute (named Dario--sigh again), it sets up the perfect scenario for his wife to exact her revenge.

Well, perfect may not be the best word. When Lucio's wife breaks free from her cage it smacks of plot contrivance more than anything--why did she wait until now? And who was her boxing coach, since she possesses quite a mean uppercut (I think I hate zombies who fist-fight as much as I hate zombies who talk or play for laughs). Still, Vivas manages to keep it interesting, even during a second half that's really just an excuse to show off its cool zombie makeup and gore effects, not to mention featuring zombie POVs that somehow move faster than the zombies themselves. Lucio, played by Adelino Tavares, makes for an adequate protagonist; I can understand what he did to his wife in a passionate moment, but the cold-hearted move he pulls near the end was downright shocking--and not in the appropriate way. Most troubling though is the telegraphed ending (Note: when a character says, "If I ever turn into one of those things . . . " you can bet the farm it's gonna happen), capped with an unsatisfying twist. I only hope that this short was a means to display Vivas's directorial skills, and that he employs a better screenwriter when he makes that first feature.

I also have no idea what the title's supposed to mean.