The Civil Dead

Clay (played by director Clay Tatum) is desperate for a break. He’s trying to establish himself as a photographer and needs something which will make him distinctive. Could a bad haircut be the solution? It’s quite British looking, says his wife, but she doesn’t seem convinced. With the pair of them to support, she heads out of town on a work trip. All he really wants to do is vegetate and watch TV, but he knows he ought to aim for a bit of productivity, so he spends his first day alone wandering through Los Angeles taking pictures. It’s in a graveyard that he bumps into Whit (Whitmer Thomas) – not a close friend, but somebody he’s hung out with in the past. After a slightly awkward exchange, they decide to go up to Clay’s flat to drink a few beers.

That’s where things get complicated. Self-centred as he is, Clay manages to get through a couple of bottles before he realises that he’s the only one actually drinking. He also misses a passing reference which Whit makes to having experiences rigor mortis. It’s one of those hints of the sort that people drop when trying to open up about a difficult subject. Whit knows he can’t avoid it, and ultimately he’s forced to come straight out and say it: the reason he’s been acting a little strangely is that he’s dead.

Perhaps it doesn’t have to be so bad. Whit’s most immediate problems are loneliness and homelessness. Clay – the only person who can see him – tells him that he’s welcome to crash for a few days until he gets himself sorted out. They decide to see if they can put Whit’s new situation to good use, and swiftly learn that scamming gamblers has a dangerous downside not adequately addressed in Rain Man. Scary moments are followed by laughter and developing camaraderie. But when Clay’s wife returns and he wants to get back to his normal life, Whit doesn’t want to leave.

What is a ghost story, in the end, except the tale of an acquaintance who just doesn’t know where to leave? Whit gradually learns how to use some special powers which Clay says are scary, but White argues that the idea of drifting through the world alone forever, with nobody to talk to, is much scarier. Clay, meanwhile, is increasingly unsettled by Whit’s neediness. As well as being exhausting generally, the intensity of their relationship increasingly transgresses across comfortable masculine boundaries – there’s no evidence of Clay having any other close friendships. The comedy banter of the film’s middle stretch gradually gives way to anxiety, aggravation and despair, until we reach one of the darkest endings of any film in recent years.

Aside from that ending, the film doesn’t have much punch; it isn’t really aiming for that. It’s a whimsical little comedy exploring friendship and social insecurities which is enjoyable enough as it passes by but not particularly memorable. Screened at the 2023 Glasgow Film Festival, it’s shrewd enough to deserve attention and will probably do well on streaming services, at its best when you can experience it as an intruder in your own home.