As if it were a one-man orchestra, Viggo Mortensen directs, produces, writes, conducts the soundtrack and of course stars in this personal western with a feminine touch in which he shares the billboard with Vickie Kreps, presenting a trailer that takes us back to all those American western classics directed by masters like John Ford or Howard Hawks that helped to forge Hollywood as the biggest entertainment industry of the planet.
The Dead Don’t Hurt is a story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s. Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) is a fiercely independent woman who embarks on a relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen). After meeting Olsen in San Francisco, she agrees to travel with him to his home near the quiet town of Elk Flats, Nevada, where they start a life together. The outbreak of the civil war separates them when Olsen makes a fateful decision to fight for the Union. This leaves Vivienne to fend for herself in a place controlled by corrupt Mayor Rudolph Schiller (Danny Huston) and his unscrupulous business partner, powerful rancher Alfred Jeffries (Garrett Dillahunt). Alfred’s violent, wayward son Weston (Solly McLeod) aggressively pursues Vivienne, who is determined to resist his unwanted advances. When Olsen returns from the war, he and Vivienne must confront and make peace with the person each has become. Both a tragic love story and a nuanced depiction of the conflict between revenge and forgiveness, The Dead Don’t Hurt is a portrait of a passionate woman determined to stand up for herself in an unforgiving world dominated by ruthless men.
The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, receiving praise and mostly positive reviews and after being released in some European territories this past May 10th, the film is expected to hit North American theaters by Shout! Studios on May 31, 2024.
