Livelihood is one of the smartest comedies to come along in quite awhile because of its quirky characters, it's clever plot line, and its tongue-in-cheek commentary on our society. (It's so smart and clever, that Visionary Comics will be releasing comic adaptations and spin-off stories from its world in the near future.)
The premise of 'Livlihood' follows a mysterious phenomenon by which the dead come back to life. However, unlike 'Dawn of the Dead' and every other zombie film, the dead that come back don't want to eat people's flesh or consume their brains...they just want to get back to work and resume their old lives. As this new influx of humanity comes back to life, advertisers, promoters, and politicians quickly try to vie for their attention and their money.
The main story lines revolve around three different groups of people: an undead '80's rock star, an undead business man who has a tendency to lose his head, and a much-pestered housewife who's now forced to live with her undead mother-in-law. The rock star seeks to reunite his band for a new record deal and go on to even greater fame in death than he had in life. The business man is seeking love...and the identity of the mysterious samurai that lopped off his head. And the housewife is searching for a way to destroy her zombie mother-in-law once and for all.
This film manages to tell three completely different types of tales and interweave social commentary throughout, reminding me of the tales crafted by Neil Gaimon.
You can read an even more in-depth critique at Microfilmmaker.com.
-Jeremy
