‘Didn’t Die’ review: Dead air on arrival | Sundance 2025

Meera Menon’s undead satire Didn’t Die podcasts its way through the zombie apocalypse with biting commentary, but not a ton of brains.

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If Didn’t Die proves one thing, it’s that surviving the zombie apocalypse is a grind. Especially when you’re stuck podcasting your way through it. Meera Menon’s undead romp bites off plenty, aiming to be the high-concept zombie movie that George Romero and Spotify might’ve made if they teamed up in a time-travel fever dream. The premise? Vinita (Kiran Deol), a podcaster with a knack for turning existential dread into downloadable content, narrates humanity’s slow shuffle into oblivion while dodging “biters” who seem more bored than bloodthirsty. It’s a solid idea, but the movie doesn’t always sink its teeth into its own potential.

First off, let’s talk about the black-and-white cinematography. It’s stark, moody, and very much bleeding Night of the Living Dead chic. Polly Morgan’s camera turns desolation into art, whether it’s tracking Vinita through crumbling neighborhoods or lingering on the melancholy elegance of a single zombie staring at nothing (big mood, honestly). But for all the beautiful shots, the pacing lurches like a zombie missing a leg. Moments of creepy brilliance shuffle alongside stretches where the movie is, well, kind of dead on its feet.

The real flesh of Didn’t Die is in Vinita’s podcast, a clever narrative device that lets her wax poetic about survival in the apocalypse during the more mundane atmospheric moments. Sometimes it works, like when she’s hilariously dragging the internet’s obsession with making everything into content. “We’ve all got something to say,” she quips at one point, “but who’s left to listen?” That’s pretty much what I would say in the same scenario. Other times, though, the dialogue gnaws a little too hard at Big Themes and starts to sound like a TED Talk about nihilism with zombies thrown in for flavor.

When the movie clicks, though, it’s a feast. One standout moment has Vinita setting up a recording studio in an abandoned radio station, her voice echoing through empty airwaves while a lone biter staggers in the background. It’s bleakly funny and oddly poignant, capturing the movie’s balance between humor and despair. Kiran Deol chews the scenery with charm, playing Vinita as someone who’s equal parts resigned and scrappy, the kind of person who’d turn a canned beans recipe into an emotionally moving podcast segment.

The supporting cast adds some much-needed spice to the walking dead stew, with George Basil as a fellow survivor bringing a jolt of energy to Vinita’s otherwise lonely world. Their dynamic is great, pretty much a buddy comedy where one buddy is deeply over it, and the other is annoyingly optimistic about not getting eaten alive.

But for all its gross ambition, Didn’t Die can’t outrun some of its own shortcomings. The script’s humor doesn’t always land (some jokes feel more “dad pun” than “death pun”), and the social commentary occasionally veers into self-seriousness. And the ending—if it were a zombie, it’d be the kind that gets taken out in the first five minutes: quick, unceremonious, and not particularly satisfying.

Still, you have to hand it to Menon for trying to breathe (un)life into the zombie genre. The movie’s exploration of post-apocalyptic monotony and the weird ways we cling to purpose—even when purpose looks like recording your 100th episode about canned goods—is fresh enough to stand out in a crowded zombie horde. And while it never quite delivers the brains it promises, it’s hard not to admire the guts it shows along the way.

Didn’t Die is less of a meal and more of a snack: quirky, ambitious, and occasionally tasty, but not as filling as you might hope. Perfect for anyone who’s ever imagined themselves finally starting that podcast, come hell or high or water. Don’t let a little end times stop you.

Didn’t Die had its world premiere at the Sundance 2025 Film Festival during the Midnight Madness lineup. Find more of our Sundance 2025 coverage here.