Life After Beth

Life After Beth is a 2014 American zombie comedy film written and directed by Jeff Baena. The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, Matthew Gray Gubler, and John C. Reilly. A cameo by Garry Marshall was one of his final film appearances. Baena wrote the script in 2003; though it was well received in Hollywood, an early production quickly fell through. Nearly a decade later, Plaza was introduced to the script independently of her relationship with Baena, and wanted to star. Her involvement – and the coincidental postponement of another film Baena was working on – meant that Life After Beth entered production quickly in 2012, with principal photography taking place in the summer of 2013. Inspired by the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, it follows Zach (DeHaan) after his girlfriend Beth (Plaza) has died and been reanimated as a zombie: Zach struggles in trying to grieve the Beth he knew while also trying to prevent the zombie Beth's deterioration. Rather than focusing on the zombie apocalypse happening, the film follows Zach navigating his relationship in suburbia. It premiered in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014, and was given a limited release on August 15, 2014. The film received mixed reviews, with praise for Plaza's performance; opinions differed on Baena's writing, particularly in terms of zombie tropes and the film's ending, and management of genre and tone.