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The Gerber Syndrome

Italy 2011
produced by
Claudio Bronzo, Lorenzo Lotti for Indastria Film, M&N Productions
directed by Maxì Dejoie
starring Valentina Bartolo, Sax Nicosia, Pia Lanciotti, Beppe Rosso, Luigi Piluso, Ettore Nicoletti, Anna Nevander, Elisabetta Fischer, Federico Tolardo, Nicola Marchitiello
written by Maxì Dejoie, music by Enrico Ascoli

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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The Gerber Syndrome is a new and highly contagious disease that starts out like the common flu, later affects the brain and turns those infected into mindless brutes before it kills them - simply because it makes the infected forget their survival instincts. The Gerber Syndrome is transferred first and foremost via saliva, and there is no cure.

This film follows two people working in disease prevention around, documentary style:

There's Doctor Ricardi (Sax Nicosia)who has a surgery in the neighbourhood and who is called to a friend's house where the friend's daughter Melissa (Valentina Bertolo) has to be treated for injuries from an attack by a drunk. Unfortunately, she soon shows symptoms of the Gerber Syndrome that suggest the attacker wasn't a drunk at all. Ricardi regards Melissa as family, so he does his best to keep her out of the hands of the authorities, who might just let her die in quarantine, and sees to it that she gets proper care at home. Still, there is virtually no hope that she won't eventually turn into a mindless brute like all the others. There is an experimental treatment though, that unfortunately comes along with a busload of side effects ...

Luigi (Luigi Piluso) works for the Security Center, an organisation with the express intent of getting the infected off the streets and collect them in several centers throughout the city - for treatment, as it's claimed, but actually the patients just die in quarantine or are experimented on ... and those not used as guineapigs should probably be considered the lucky ones. Luigi has no medical experience whatsoever, but he doesn't need any, it's just his job to capture the infected like a dogcatcher does - and he's in good shape, has martial arts skills, is not bright and self-reflexive enouch to question his own actions, so he's just perfect for the job. However, the work of the Security Center doesn't go well with human rights groups, who put the center under siege. On the other hand, there are self-appointed vigilantes patroling the city who think the work of the Center does not go far enough, and when they find an infected, they burn him ...

Click here to open the Spoiler Pop-up!

 

Even though technically speaking, the infected in this movie are no zombies, this film can be seen as the reinvention of Italian zombie cinema - via the route of (fake) documentary. And please, don't confuse this film's documentary approach with the usual found footage drivel, The Gerber Syndrome is a well-structured, well-filmed, well-edited movie that approaches its subject matter with all the seriousness it demands.

What makes the film worth though is that it not slavishly relies on genre conventions and pure (gory) spectacle, that, while not without charm, have been done to death in the last 30 or so years, instead it takes its documentary approach seriously, presents the story from two totally opposing points of view, and takes its time in creating characters rather than just setpieces.  The outcome is as fascinating as it's haunting.

Recommended, actually.

 

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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Thanks for watching !!!

 

 

In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

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Robots and rats,
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Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

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Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
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a collection of short stories and mini-plays
ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic
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tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle, all thought up by
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Michael Haberfelner.

 

Tales to Chill
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the new anthology by
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Out now from
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