The Cured (2018) - David Freyne

A clever reconstruction of the Zombie film, David Freyne's The Cured implores a formalism that  effectively expands the emotional girth and thematic weight often allocated to such genre entries.  In this singular vision, a cure has been found, many of the infected are cured, but many problems persist; the once-infected zombies now find themselves discriminated against, unable to rehabilitate themselves and find a place back in normal society.   The Cure's first half is transfixing and alluring, one that finds itself traversing some very heavy themes related to moral relativism, statism, democracy, and authority.  We are introduced to 'The Cured' individuals who are ostracized and demonized,  stripped of their free will both metaphorically and literally, individuals whom must do what they are told in nearly every aspect of their life; individuals forced to succumb and comply with the authority of the state, in this case specifically the military.   The Cured's design effectively blurs the lines between protagonist and antagonist- the audience finding empathy for The Cured, characters who represent approximately 25% of the population yet find themselves oppressed due to fear and anger.  We feel for these characters, yet the film makes sure to remind us routinely of the horrendous past crimes they committed when infected.  The moral relativism displayed in The Cured, at least early on s quite refreshing in this regard; unwilling to present morality in an objective way.  This of course is due in large part to its formalist construction and overlying conceit - The Cured at one point viciously murdered and maimed, they killed without any semblance of empathy under this disease; Now they are cured, yet what are the moral and social repercussions of injecting them back into society?  The Cured isn't a subtle film, it wears its message about discrimination on its sleeve in a way that can be heavy-handed, yet it always remains interesting thematically.   Allegorical in nature, a lot can be projected onto this film; whether it be related to the LGBT, Race, or Class struggle, yet that fundamentally misses the larger assertion - the intrinsic flaws of democracy related to the majority and minority.  Intentional or not, The Cured somewhat heavy-handed story is at it heart a story of oppressors and oppressed, a film that keenly showcases how the authority/power apparatus itself is almost intrinsically used by the majority to oppress the majority, in this case it being the uninfected Majority oppressing the Cured minority.  The Cured are individuals whom are so judged, so feared by the majority, that they find themselves oppressed and ostracized in a way that breeds anger, which leads to the third act where the film becoming less interesting, divulging into a more traditional antagonist/protagonist conclusion, one in which the film settles an over-played, albeit paramount assertion, related to cyclical nature of oppression, violence, and vengeance.