‘Dead Lover’ Review – A Hilarious Gross-Out Frankenstein-Style Tale [Sundance 2025]

We’ve all experienced a time in our lives when, no matter what we do, it seems like no one likes us. Whether it’s romantic or platonic, we still find ourselves alone. Most of the time, there’s no single discernable reason for this. Life is more complex than that. In the case of Grace Glowicki’s lonely gravedigger found in Dead Lover, however, the reason is abundantly clear. She reeks of dirt and the corpses she helps lay to rest. No one wants to be within a hundred feet of her. There are points where her stench almost comes out of the screen into the audience.

The Gravedigger initially finds her man, a Count’s brother, as she is burying the Count’s wife. Previously impotent, the brother is intoxicated by her scent and they embrace passionately. So in love with the Gravedigger, her new lover travels to find treatment to increase his sperm count so they can start a family together. After he meets an untimely demise, The Gravedigger goes to extraordinary lengths to bring her lover back. The methods in which she tries to do this and the hijinks that follow are laugh-out-loud funny, and the humorous tone is set early on in the film. 

Dead Lover marks both Glowicki’s second feature and her return to the Sundance Film Festival after winning the special jury award for best actress in a short film at the 2016 edition of the festival for her role in Her Friend Adam. This time Glowicki not only stars but co-wrote and directed the film. Alongside Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, and Lowen Morrow, Glowicki creates an incredible unique cinematic atmosphere. The film acts as more of a play than anything else, with minimalistic crafted sets in a black box theater and most of the actors playing multiple characters throughout the movie. 

The improvisational nature gives it an interesting charm. It utilizes the base narrative structure of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein but takes it to vastly different places. Each scene sets up familiar gothic horror tropes but quickly turns with an outrageous quip or physical gag from Glowicki. The cast is utterly committed to every bit in Dead Lover, and their fun energy is electrifying. It’s almost like they’re including the audience in a host of inside jokes that are somehow effortlessly communicated. 

Dead Lover is assuredly silly and over-the-top in many respects but its message at its core is important. Everyone in this world deserves love from others, regardless of status (or stench). This isn’t to say that everyone is guaranteed a romantic partner in this life, but we need to look past our differences and bring love and joy to those around us who are lonely. Even the quirky Gravedigger should be included. 

Much of the film points to this specific theme and the worth of the effort to find love and acceptance. Glowicki’s Gravedigger leaves no stone unturned when trying to find and resurrect her lover, and she feels a sense of purpose and drive she’s never experienced before. Making the right friend or meeting the right romantic interest can turn our lives upside down (in the best way) and completely reorient our priorities. Keep fighting to be heard and seen by the people around you, and find the folks that do. 

Dead Lover is one of the grossest, most absurd love stories you’ll ever have the pleasure of seeing, and its unique approach to filmmaking and storytelling gives it a little something extra that many other films don’t have. It really feels like we are seeing a well-produced stage play up close and personally, with amazing lighting and hilarious costumes that you might notice if you look from afar at an actual stage. Glowicki and her team are having the time of their lives making this, and you’ll feel the same way while watching.

Dead Lover had its World Premiere in the Midnight section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Grace Glowicki

Writers: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie

Rated: NR

Runtime: 84m