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The Gerber Syndrome is a new and highly contagious disease that starts
out like the common flu, later affects the brain and turns those infected
into mindless brutes before it kills them - simply because it makes the
infected forget their survival instincts. The Gerber Syndrome is
transferred first and foremost via saliva, and there is no cure. This
film follows two people working in disease prevention around, documentary
style: There's Doctor Ricardi (Sax Nicosia)who has a surgery in the
neighbourhood and who is called to a friend's house where the friend's
daughter Melissa (Valentina Bertolo) has to be treated for injuries from
an attack by a drunk. Unfortunately, she soon shows symptoms of the Gerber
Syndrome that suggest the attacker wasn't a drunk at all. Ricardi regards
Melissa as family, so he does his best to keep her out of the hands of the
authorities, who might just let her die in quarantine, and sees to it that
she gets proper care at home. Still, there is virtually no hope that she
won't eventually turn into a mindless brute like all the others. There is
an experimental treatment though, that unfortunately comes along with a
busload of side effects ... Luigi (Luigi Piluso) works for the Security
Center, an organisation with the express intent of getting the infected
off the streets and collect them in several centers throughout the city -
for treatment, as it's claimed, but actually the patients just die in
quarantine or are experimented on ... and those not used as guineapigs
should probably be considered the lucky ones. Luigi has no medical
experience whatsoever, but he doesn't need any, it's just his job to
capture the infected like a dogcatcher does - and he's in good shape, has
martial arts skills, is not bright and self-reflexive enouch to question
his own actions, so he's just perfect for the job. However, the work of
the Security Center doesn't go well with human rights groups, who put the
center under siege. On the other hand, there are self-appointed vigilantes
patroling the city who think the work of the Center does not go far
enough, and when they find an infected, they burn him ... Click
here to open the
Spoiler Pop-up! Even though
technically speaking, the infected in this movie are no zombies, this film
can be seen as the reinvention of Italian zombie cinema - via the route of
(fake) documentary. And please, don't confuse this film's documentary
approach with the usual found footage drivel, The Gerber
Syndrome is a well-structured, well-filmed, well-edited movie that
approaches its subject matter with all the seriousness it demands. What
makes the film worth though is that it not slavishly relies on genre
conventions and pure (gory) spectacle, that, while not without charm, have
been done to death in the last 30 or so years, instead it takes its
documentary approach seriously, presents the story from two totally
opposing points of view, and takes its time in creating characters rather
than just setpieces. The outcome is as fascinating as it's haunting. Recommended,
actually.
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