New Life (2023 film)

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New Life is a 2023 American zombie horror-thriller film written and directed by John Rosman. It stars Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, and Tony Amendola. The movie premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on August 8, 2023, and was released in U.S. theaters on May 3, 2024. It runs 84 minutes and is in English. Filmed in Oregon in 2022, it was distributed by Brainstorm Media.

Plot
A bleeding woman named Jessica Murdock escapes a containment facility and heads toward the Canadian border across the Pacific Northwest, after killing a guard. She believes she is being hunted for murder. Elsa Gray, a fixer with an ALS diagnosis, pursues Jessica. Along the way, Jessica meets kind strangers who think she is fleeing domestic violence, including an elderly farming couple and a bartender named Molly. Elsa is told she is working for the government and that Jessica carries Ebola, but she discovers she actually works for a pharmaceutical company trying to protect its reputation. Jessica is not infected with Ebola; she was infected by a dog that escaped from the facility. Jessica witnesses Molly become a zombie and realizes she is contagious. Elsa confronts Jessica and, as Jessica shows signs of infection, kills her. Elsa returns home and, with the help of a caretaker, plans to modify her home to be ALS-accessible. The caretaker begins to cough, suggesting that Elsa may also be infected.

Production
Principal photography took place in Oregon in 2022.

Reception
New Life received mostly positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 94% rating based on 63 critic reviews. Metacritic assigns a score of 68 out of 100, based on 4 critics. Critics praised its atmosphere, strong performances, and fresh approach to the zombie thriller genre.