The Returned (They Came Back) * * *

They Returned.

They Returned is the 2003 French movie that inspired the better 2012 French TV
series "The Returned". The point of both shows is that society must cope
with a large number of dead people coming back to life. The movie version
is slower and the ending lacks any clear resolution, but I still found it
entertaining. The ending is way too understated but it also sort of
makes sense.

They Returned might try the patience of some who would prefer a more
exciting movie.

The movie is less about the resurrected dead than it is about how the living
react to their presence. If there is any point to the film at all, and it is
not clear that the movie has a point, it is about how society integrates a large
number of immigrants or refugees who are dramatically different than the rest
of the population. (This has been a problem for Europe in general.) In this
movie the dead seem like mere echoes of their former selves who are less
capable of original thought. For this reason they are difficult to integrate
into society and can only work menial jobs.

But the dead in this movie have their own agenda. They aren't very
interested in the living. They secretly collude among themselves and make
plans. This leads to violent conflict between the living and the dead.

In a couple of scenes we see reflections of female beauty in a mirror and in
a window. In the first scene the reflection is covered by fog and in the
second scene we briefly see reflections of breasts. This seems like some
sort of symbolism because the dead are like poor reflections of their former
selves.