The Dead Don't Die Ending Explained

WARNING: Spoilers for The Dead Don’t Die

The Dead Don’t Die is a zombie movie with a subtle, philosophical perspective that’s fascinating to examine. Directed by iconic indie director Jim Jarmusch, the comedy touches upon timely social issues by exploring small-town drama during a zombie apocalypse, as police officers Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) investigate the murder of two people at a Centerville diner. The initial diner murders are committed by two zombies (Iggy Pop, Sara Driver) – undead characters who are less interested in flesh and more interested in coffee, demonstrating that it’s not the typical zombie film.

The Dead Don’t Die overtly foreshadows the impending apocalypse. From act to act, Driver’s Ronnie Peterson emphatically states that “it’s all going to end badly.” Murray’s Robertson tries to figure out why the end is coming, even though the writing is figuratively on the wall. Ultimately, they’re consumed by concepts that they can’t fully understand, while a societal outcast (Tom Waits as Hermit Bob) survives the entire ordeal, watching from afar as the two officers fight until their deaths. The ending also sees Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton), levitated into a UFO, adding to the complexity of ideas to examine.

What Caused The Zombie Uprising In The Dead Don’t Die

In Centerville, the zombies emerge because of “polar fracking” and the subsequent shift of the earth’s axis. While many of the best post-apocalyptic movies focus on the exposition, Jarmusch doesn’t explore the specifics, perhaps to convey that humans are ignorant of the collective events that led to said polar fracking and the axis shift. At one point, Driver’s character hammers home this concept by reminding acquaintances (and the audience) that there are two causes, and only two causes, for the mess they’re in.

On the surface, the zombie uprising can be explained, but the real cause is the characters’ fundamental lack of knowledge about the world they’re living in. The idea of knowledge becomes a recurring factor throughout the film. Gas station owner Bobby Wiggins’ doesn’t exude social charm, but his “impressive” understanding of cinema is recognized by Gomez’s Zoe, shortly before her group of hipsters leave him in the dust and head to their inevitable deaths. But despite Bobby’s cinematic education – his understanding of contrived worlds – he’s ultimately killed by zombies as well.

Who Survives In The Dead Don’t Die (& How)

Zelda And Hermit Bob Survive, Adding To The Dead Don’t Die’s Commentary

Two Centerville residents survive the zombie uprising: Zelda and Hermit Bob. Waits’ character survives because that’s all he knows. In the brave new world, he won’t need an official title or lots of money. Instead, Hermit Bob will stick to the essentials, a concept that he’s more than familiar with. His final commentary could be interpreted in different ways. Hermit Bob scowls about “lost souls” and people who are infatuated with “new stuff” in this “f**ked up world.” It’s almost like listening to a father figure saying “I told you so!”

Swinton’s Zelda is Jarmusch’s wildcard character in The Dead Don’t Die. She keeps to herself, focuses on work, and pursues artistic hobbies. She’s weird, yes, but she’s also the most efficient when killing zombies. In another film, Zelda might be a villain character; someone who is familiar with the dead and rebels against the living. But in Jarmusch’s film, this highly competent character understands that humans aren’t the enemy; they’re merely misguided and miseducated. As a result, the zombie apocalypse seems like a logical next step; a punishment for being stupid and naive.

The Dead Don’t Die Characters Acknowledge That They’re In A Movie

From beginning to end, there’s a meta quality to The Dead Don’t Die. Characters openly acknowledge that they’re in a film, and Sturgill Simpson’s country song “The Dead Don’t Die” becomes a recurring musical motif. Waits’ Hermit Bob feels like a distant relative of the prospector he portrays in the Coen brothers’ 2018 Netflix film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and it’s no accident that both characters emerge as survivors.

In The Dead Don’t Die, Hermit Bob may seem like an irrelevant outcast, but he’s prepared and prioritizes practical living over petty complaints. Similarly, horror movie veteran Tilda Swinton’s enigmatic Zelda Winston, a mortician, understands basic truths about life and death, and she’s also a survivor. In contrast to Hermit Bob and everybody else, though, Zelda sees the larger picture and escapes hell on Earth with the assistance of extraterrestrial beings.

Jarmusch casts Selena Gomez (a real-life pop star) as a hipster-type figure who is ultimately killed by zombies AND beheaded by Officer Ronnie Peterson. “Kill the head,” the characters often say in The Dead Don’t Die. By cutting off Gomez’s head and showing it to the audience, Jarmusch seems to imply that celebrity culture won’t mean a damn thing when the world is coming to an end – or perhaps the lesson is that celebrity adoration contributes to a warped sense of reality.

Is Tilda Swinton’s Zelda Winston An Alien In The Dead Don’t Die?

Tilda Swinton’s Character Is Purposefully Ambiguous

Zelda appears to be some type of alien mole, as evidenced by a hacking sequence and her free ticket to space. Multiple viewings may reveal alternate motivations, but it’s clear that she arranged for an escape and doesn’t seem phased by zombies whatsoever. Alternatively, maybe Zelda isn’t an alien. Perhaps she’s just a highly intelligent character who’s meant to survive while the dumb characters die. Just as Officer Peterson knows that he’s in a movie and that things will indeed end badly, Zelda may realize that she’ll survive because she read the script and knows she’s the smart character.

Therein lies the beauty of The Dead Don’t Die, as Jarmusch’s unique storytelling approach allows for different interpretations. It works both literally and figuratively – Zelda could be an extraterrestrial being or a highly intelligent human. Or maybe she’s just Tilda Swinton acting in a self-aware, wink-of-the-eye zombie movie. (after all, the name Zelda Winston does sound a lot like Tilda Swinton).

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The Real Meaning Behind The Dead Don’t Die’s Ending Explained

The Dead Don’t Die Critiques Consumer Society And Suggests That It Will Be Humanity’s Downfall

The ending of The Dead Don’t Die suggests that mass consumerism inspires toxic behavior. Most of The Dead Don’t Die’s characters are egocentric and naive, which is why they don’t survive. They focus primarily on self-serving interests, all the while remaining naive about truths in plain sight. When Officer Peterson initially views the diner murder victims, his reaction is telling: “Gross!” He reacts to the crime scene like it’s a movie set – which makes sense given that he seems to understand he’s living within a movie.

With The Dead Don’t Die, Jarmusch points out that having strong opinions doesn’t matter much if one remains naive and passive when the stakes are high. Characters throughout the movie feel strongly about particular notions and ideals, but the film suggests that humanity lacks a broader understanding of the world, which puts everyone at risk. This could serve as a metaphor for climate change or general social issues, with The Dead Don’t Die accusing consumer society and greed as being the primary detriments to human longevity.

The Dead Don’t Die

The Dead Don’t Die is a horror comedy released in 2019, directed by Jim Jarmusch. The Dead Don’t Die focuses on a small town in Centerville that struggles to battle off hordes of zombies after the dead come back to life. The film has a star-studded cast, including Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, and Danny Glover.

Director

Jim Jarmusch

Release Date

June 14, 2019

Cast

Tom Waits , Selena Gomez , Austin Butler , Adam Driver , Chloe Sevigny , Bill Murray , Danny Glover , Tilda Swinton , Steve Buscemi , Caleb Landry Jones , Iggy Pop

Runtime

103minutes