Dead Talent’s Society (FANTASTIC) Demands to be Seen
Title: Dead Talent’s Society
First Non-Festival Release: August 7, 2024 (Theatrical Release)
Director: John Hsu
Writer: John Hsu, Kun-Lin Tsai
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Starring: Gingle Wang, Sandrine Pinna, Bo-lin Chen
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2024.
When everything demands to be shared and success can be measured in both physical achievements and social media engagement, what becomes of the average person? If everyone is expected to produce, perform, and adapt, does it all just become noise? What does it mean to be truly seen in a world like that?
This is the throughline of Dead Talent’s Society where a Rookie ghostress (Gingle Wang) at the behest of her friend Camilla (Bai Bai) must learn to become the most feared scare influencer in the afterlife to avoid disappearing forever. She teams up with sly talent agent Makoto (Chen Bolin) and washed up ghostress Catherine (Sandrine Pinna) to save herself in the afterlife. Catherine’s former protege Jessica (Eleven Yao) gets in the way of the Rookie’s progress before the ultimate showdown takes place to prove who is the underworld’s biggest diva.
Heartfelt and hilarious, Dead Talent’s Society is a thoughtful examination of the attention economy.
All this pushing for a chance at feeling important or finding direction in life, Dead Talent’s Society directly juxtaposes the idea of survival in death with being remembered, which has become both easier and harder than ever in the age of social media. It’s no secret that in today’s world, social media has the ability to make people’s wildest dreams come through by sharing their talents, rallying support around a just cause, or simply having a magnetic personality. When posting content means the difference between you making payments on your chemotherapy, the choice is clear, even if it isn’t easy. The Rookie faces this overwhelming pressure to stand out in a sea of other ghosts trying to do the same.
The Rookie serves as a stand in for anyone who has felt overshadowed or overlooked their entire life. Cursed with the crushing weight of her own expectations, the Rookie fails to see the value in herself when she defines her worth based on the trophies and successes she’s had in life. Her attempts at taking scaring seriously are heartbreaking when you realize how hopeless she still feels despite having the love of her family in the real world and support of her colleagues in the afterlife. Persisting through challenge, humiliation, and pain, she finds that the only person truly in her way is herself. Her journey comes less from seeking acceptance in others and more in seeking acceptance within herself. Even in death, it isn’t too late to find your purpose. This is not only universal across cultures but intertwines with the film’s take of growing up [or dying] in the internet age.
Dead Talent’s Society goes further by examining the other archetypes populating the scaring industry. Catherine and Jessica represent the constant in-fighting between “old” and “new” generations. Using different mediums of scaring as a parallel for modern day celebrities in “legitimate” professions like acting and music against “illegitimate” ones like influencing and content creation, Dead Talent’s Society explores the expanding shifts in how we define celebrity. Of course, each team is followed by groupies, sycophants, and a tireless crew supporting their endeavors, it’s not until the third act where the film envisions what this partnership could be. Dead Talent’s Society declares that harmony is possible, if one can dare to imagine what it looks like.
Without its quick pacing and wit, Dead Talent’s Society would not hit nearly as hard as it does, especially when it takes its emotional turns. Right away, Dead Talent’s Society establishes its world building, major players, and sense of humor in its cold open, allowing for viewers to get quickly immersed in the world of scare influencing. Recurring gags, unexpected reveals, and a commitment to remaining silly allow this ghostly comedy to maintain its energy and bring its chaotic world to life. Much of the world building integrates into the humor when the ridiculousness of what is asked by The Rookie and other ghostresses and companies transpires onscreen. The wackiness never takes away from the story or the beautiful character arcs each of the main players take. In fact, it often bolsters the argument that fame is fickle and unimportant while true connections are more satisfying.
A marvel in storytelling and entertainment, Dead Talent’s Society is a standout genre film of the year. Heartfelt, energetic, and unique in its exploration of coming-of-age in the modern day, Dead Talent’s Society is bound to top many genre cinephile’s “end of” lists for years to come. Fans of horror comedies and East Asian cinema will delight in the spectacle that is Dead Talent’s Society.
Overall Score? 10/10
