The Dead Don't Hurt

Viggo Mortensen stars and directs this story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s.

Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) is a fiercely independent woman who embarks on a relationships with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Mortensen). After meeting with Olsen in San Francisco, she agrees to travel with him to his home near the quiet town of Elk Flats, Nevada, where they start a life together. The outbreak of the civil war separates them when Olsen makes a fateful decision to fight for the Union. This leaves Vivienne to fend for herself in a place controlled by corrupt Mayor Rudolph Schiller (Danny Huston) and his unscrupulous business partner, powerful rancher Alfred Jeffries (Garret Dillahunt). Alfred’s violent, wayward son Weston (Solly McLeod) aggressively pursues Vivienne, who is determined to resist his unwanted advances. When Olsen returns from the war, he and Vivienne must confront and make peace with the person each has become.

Both a tragic love story and nuanced depiction of the conflict between revenge and forgiveness, THE DEAD DON’T HURT is a portrait of a passionate woman determined to stand up for herself in an unforgiving world dominated by ruthless men.

“The Dead Don’t Hurt isn’t your typical revenge Western, but audiences willing to stick with it will find a picture rendered with grace, patience, and artistry.,” ~Jason Bailey, The Playlist

“It wouldn’t be a Western if it didn’t include some kind of showdown, and “The Dead Don’t Hurt” gives us one that is bloody and satisfying without being what you’d expect. Mortensen twists the tropes until the end.” ~Steve Pond, TheWrap