Movie Review: What We Become – A Fresh Take on the Zombie Genre

Genre: Horror

Director: Bo Mikkelsen

Cast: Mille Dinesen, Troels Lyby, Benjamin Engell, and Marie Hammer Boda

Studio: IFC Midnight

Runtime: 82 Minutes

Release: In Theaters NY/LA and VOD May, 13, 2016.

Rated: NR

Rating ★★★★★

What We Become is a Danish zombie horror movie that tells the story of the Johansson family. While enjoying their summer vacation, they find themselves suddenly forced into quarantine inside their home. As the family listens to the news, they learn a deadly disease is quickly spreading and the death toll is rising every day. As the situation worsens, the family discovers being stuck inside their home is the least of their worries when they realize the illness causes the dead to come back to life.

I’ll admit; I love zombie themed entertainment. But with zombies being so infused into almost every aspect of our current pop culture, a film about the undead has to be truly unique to stand above the rest. So, not only was I surprised with how enjoyable What We Become is, I was also taken aback with how original director Bo Mikkelsen’s take is on the zombie genre. It’s easily one of the best zombie films of recent memory.

The quarantine begins.

What makes What We Become work so well is, ironically, it isn’t truly a zombie film. In fact, the undead don’t really have that much screen time. Mikkelsen, instead, created a film in which the real terror comes from the confusion and fear a global plague could bring. Throughout most of What We Become, both the audience and the Johanssons are stuck inside the quarantined house. The only knowledge of what’s going on comes from the news or the small glimpses the family gains from looking outside their windows. This tactic effectively builds tension as the Johanssons struggle to find answers as to what’s truly happening.

What We Become succeeds most at building tension. The film takes a slow-burn approach and keeps building the suspense until it reaches an explosive final act that had me on the edge of my seat. As the credits started rolling, I sat there in disbelief over what I had just seen.

Dino fights off an unwanted visitor

I particularly appreciated the use of color to symbolize how the world slowly crumbles apart in What We Become. In the beginning, everything is bright and colorful as the family is enjoying their summer. But as they’re forced into their home, and the disease starts spreading, the colors become more muted. By the end, everything looks grey. It’s a subtle but nice touch that enhances the look and feel of the film.

The cast does a fantastic job, but the actor who plays Dino (Troels Lyby), the father, gives a tremendous performance. Lyby does a phenomenal job making you care about his character. Watching as Dino tries to be optimistic for his family as everything goes to hell is simply heartbreaking.

What We Become does have its downfalls. Dino’s teenage son Gustav (Benjamin Engall) comes across as whiney most of the time, and some of the things he does, especially given the situation, make little sense. I found myself wishing he would just shut up whenever he was on screen. Another nitpick is the lack of zombie screen time. When they do show up, however, it’s awesome; these zombies look like they’re possessed by a demon rather than simply being undead. The make-up team should be commended for their prosthetic work.

One thing that’s important to know before watching What We Become is that since the film is in Danish, subtitles are needed to understand the dialogue. While I have no issue with this, some may have a hard time keeping up, especially during the faster paced conversations.

Aside from these minor issues, What We Become is a fantastic film. It handles the idea of a zombie apocalypse with a scaled down and realistic approach. What We Become is tense, claustrophobic, and highly recommended.

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Dustin Kogler

Professional amateur movie watcher. Dustin is a laid-back nerd who loves discussing pop culture. He loves listening to 80s music, playing video games and watching netflix all day. He's pretty sarcastic and if you tell him your favorite movie he can tell you why you're wrong.