SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Dead Mail is the sophomore feature-length film from co-writers/co-directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy. The thriller involves synthesizers, obsession, kidnapping, and astute postal workers. The prologue of this 1980s-set film shows a tied-up man wriggling his way up the lawn of a nondescript house. Before being retaken, he manages to get a blood-scrawled message into the mailbox.
At the local Peoria post office, Ann (Micki Jackson) and Bess (Susan Priver) are looking over mail with indecipherable addresses. In one envelope, they come across a necklace and take it to Jasper (Tomas Boykin), their expert at finding where mail is meant to belong. He calls up his friend Renee (Nick Heyman), who manages to whittle down the options to just a small handful of names. The next day, Jasper is looking into the note from the prologue when someone bursts into his office and kills him.
Flashback time. Trent (John Fleck) is at an electronic music showcase and meets Josh (Sterling Macer Jr.). Josh’s synthesizer can replicate a church organ almost perfectly… but that is the only sound he has to offer. Trent offers to partner with Josh to create the best-sounding synthesizer ever. While Trent is a little awkward and intense, there seems to be no major red flags, so Josh agrees. Trent puts his money where his mouth is, furnishing his new friend with the latest and greatest microchips and tools he can get. But Trent becomes jealous and controlling when Yamaha becomes interested in their product and locks Josh in his basement.
“…Jasper is looking into the note…when someone bursts into his office and kills him.”
Dead Mail is shot in that grainy, pixelated manner primarily associated with 1970s horror. Unlike other recent titles that use a similar aesthetic, that grindhouse look appears to be a part of the film itself and not some lazily slapped-over effect. It gives the story an off-kilter vibe from the start and does wonders for the production values as well.
DeBoer and McConaghy keep the mystery of the prologue alive until all is revealed. Watching Jasper try to piece together whether the note is a prank or not is engaging. The time spent with him after work, as he searches for a permanent residence, gives off main character energy. Then, in the blink of an eye, he’s gone. This cleverly keeps audiences on their toes, trying to figure out where the plot is going to go next. The strong characterizations of Jasper, Josh, Ann, and Trent help keep all watching invested as well.
The cast aids in the believability of the story immensely. Boykin is stoic but likable. Fleck is menacing but oddly charming. Macer Jr. is terrific, selling a man with a passion in over his head brilliantly. Jackson doesn’t have much to do until the third act, but she owns the later parts of the film.
Dead Mail is a riveting thriller from start to end. DeBoer and McConaghy manage to authentically capture the period setting both in the production design and filmmaking style. The cast is excellent, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep even the greatest detectives guessing.
Dead Mail screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.
"…riveting..."
