Directed by Andrea De Sica and starring Alica Pagani and Rocco Fasano in the lead roles, Don’t Kill Me (originally Non mi uccidere) is a 2021 Italian horror drama. The story of Don’t Kill me revolves around a young girl named Mirta who dies in a drug overdose accident along with her much-loved boyfriend, Robin. With The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights playing on the car radio, the movie starts with a joyous yet crazy tone. But, all of this makes way for a rather joyless and ominous ending. Not surprising for a movie with “kill” in its title to go down the dark road, but the movie’s ending might leave some viewers in the dark nonetheless.
Here’s a breakdown of Don’t Kill Me. Read on… answers to all questions await. (Ominous silence follows.)
Don’t Kill Me Plot Breakdown
Mirta is a young and joyful girl who’s left her parents to live with her boyfriend, Robin. Clearly, her parents do not approve of Robin who happens to be a drug addict too. (Not the best thing to have on your boyfriend’s resume.)
One of these days, after nearly escaping an exciting freak accident, Robin and Mirta reach a quarry to chill around. Post a brief lover’s tiff, Robin prepares to get high as Mirta asks him to quit. He refuses. Mirta asks to try the drugs to understand him but on a condition- it will be Robin’s last time too. Robin slyly dodges the question and goes on to give her the drugs. Before he gives it to her, she makes one request and says, “Don’t kill me.” (Isn’t it exciting to hear the characters say the title?) He tells her that nobody will be able to separate them and they’ll come back. Cute, right?
They die nevertheless due to drug overdose. Mirta’s parents sob over their lost daughter. No one comes to claim Robin’s body. On Mirta’s mother’s insistence, Robin and Mirta are rested together in an above-ground burial place. Mirta breaks the burial wall and comes out of her burial spot. She sees Robin’s name written in the spot next to her and realizes what had happened. Crying, she sets off to her home. A flashback sequence reveals how Mirta and Robin met. (These flashbacks keep coming now and then adding a bit to the background of the two characters.)
Mirta reaches her parent’s house. She tries to eat some food but fails to do so as she pukes. Soon, she encounters her grieving mother. Her mother, Amalia, touches Mirta and notices how cold she feels. On hearing her father come, Mirta rushes out of the house. Her father assumes that Amalia is having hallucinations out of her grief.
After running from her home, Mirta is seen being chased by some men. The leader of the group calls out her name and tells her that they will protect her. Mirta manages to stay hidden. Mirta notices that her hands are starting to decompose and her eyes are turning black. Wearing sunglasses to hide her eyes, she reaches a club visited by Robin and her.
Mirta’s father is, meanwhile, visited by a man who claims to be part of a group called Benandanti. He tells her father that the corpse of Mirta is not stolen as the police claim. Instead, Mirta has come alive from the dead. Her father laughs it off and tells him to leave (rather rudely).
Coming back to Mirta, she meets a man in the club who compliments her and takes her to a secluded place- the quarry where Robin and Mirta took the drugs. The guy tries to force himself on her but only to be bitten on the neck and have his life sucked out of it. Yes, Mirta has turned into a man-eating undead.
After her meal, she goes to her apartment. Moments later, her father comes in with a woman. He expresses his regret over letting his daughter be in the company of Robin. The woman tries to blame Mirta and tells him that it was her choice. Not knowing of Mirta’s presence in the apartment, the woman roams around. She ends up getting bitten by Mirta. Mirta’s father discovers her sucking the blood out of the woman’s neck. Just before the father-daughter reconciliation could occur, the Benandanti makes an appearance and shoots both of them. As she continues to get shot, MIrta is rescued by Sara, another of her kind (the dead but walking, blood-sucking, man-eating kind).
The Overdead
Sara informs Mirta about the Benandanti, a sect that’s hunting people like them since the 17th century. She tells her about their money, power, and influence. Sara also lets her know about how people who go through violent deaths return and become the “Overdead” like them. After a quick bath, Sara goes on teaching Mirta a quick how-to-eat-a-man lesson. (Just like Ramsey teaches contestants about filleting a fish in MasterChef.)
Eager to reunite with Robin, Mirta expresses her wish to go back to the cemetery. On being refused by Sara on the grounds that he probably hasn’t returned from the dead, Mirta ditches Sara and jumps out of a moving vehicle.
Arriving back at the cemetery, she finds an old friend of hers and Robin there, Ago. He takes her to his place and she tells him about her “condition.” Ago expresses his love for Mirta, but Mirta refuses as she feels her Overdead instincts returning to her. In the hope to unite with Mirta as an Overdead, Ago slits his own throat.
Afterward, she reaches the cemetery to find Robin but just as she breaks the wall of his burial spot, she is electrocuted by one of the Benandanti henchmen. On the other side, they have also captured Sara while she was trying to look for Mirta.
Robin Returns
Later, she finds herself chained and being introduced to Luca Bertozzi, the head of the Benandanti group chasing her. Mirta requests him to kill her. He tells her about their way of preventing the Overdead from eating by applying force and letting them slowly rot because they are very powerful creatures. He goes on to tell her that, however, now the Overdead’s power means nothing as another Overdead has joined them. Robin enters through the door.
Robin carries Mirta away as he informs her that this is a safe house and she’s completely safe. Mirta questions Robin about the Benandanti. Robin tells Mirta about his friend Paolo who was eaten by an Overdead as he stood witness. Being helpless, he joined the Benandanti to seek revenge on the monsters who killed his friend.
Turn of Events
Robin met Mirta when he had become a part of the Benandanti. Mirta realizes that Robin knew they were going to die. Robin killed Mirta and himself knowing that both of them will return as the immortal Overdead being much more powerful than before. Mirta expresses her dissatisfaction with being not taken into consideration before such a step.
A while later, Robin falls asleep. She gets up and finds Luca torturing Sara in another room. She helps Sara and both of them feast on Luca’s body. After thrashing some Benandanti guys and letting Sara regain her energy by feasting on them, Mirta and Sara reach the car. Just as they were about to escape, Robin grabs Mirta and holds her against the vehicle. Mirta overpowers him and expresses her displeasure at being turned into a monster. Robin tells her to her disappointment that immortality is a gift. He calls her by her name as she responds that Mirta is no more here since he killed her. She stuns Robin and they manage to escape.
Mirta is no more
Sara and Mirta drive away safely. Later, Sara tells Mirta that her anger will give her the strength to survive. She will just have to master the art of hiding and must carefully pick her victims. Mirta, who’s completely transformed now and has made peace with her new identity, responds by saying, “Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
The Move Culture Synopsis
Robin drugged Mirta and himself knowing they will die of an overdose but will return ultimately as the stronger Overdead. Robin possibly wishes to keep hunting for more Overdeads but wants to remain with Mirta as well. To fulfil his wish, he plans to kill Mirta and himself.
However, after realizing the truth, Mirta couldn’t fathom that she has become a monster because of Robin’s wishes. The last scene reveals that Mirta has accepted her new self but she also decides to get away from Robin even when she yearns to be with him.
In the end, Mirta becomes finally aware of her new powers and is set to lead a different life. The ending leaves the possibility for her and Robin to reunite. But let’s leave that for the sequel if there ever will be one.
