Ep. 94 DEAD MAIL with Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy

This February at the UW Cinematheque, in our ongoing series of new international movies making their first local theatrical showings, we present the Madison Premiere of DEAD MAIL, written and directed by the talented duo of Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy. Evocatively set in the Midwest at the dawn of the digital age, this dark comedy and thriller is one of the most exciting American movies of the decade! DEAD MAIL begins with the story of Jasper, a diligent post-office clerk played by Tomas Boykin, who discovers a blood-stained cry for help delivered to his “dead letter” office. With assistance from Jasper’s quirky colleagues and a Scandinavian hacker, an investigation uncovers a whole new story, a psychodrama played-out between a synthesizer engineer and his possessive patron. Frequently reminiscent of movies by Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma and the Coen Brothers, Dead Mail’s narrative is consistently compelling and surprising. Set in the mid 1980s, the blandly evocative period details and the numerous stylistic directorial flourishes make it clear that we are in the hands of a confident and talented pair of filmmakers. On this episode of Cinematalk, Jim Healy and Ben Reiser talk to Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy about their friendship, professional history, and the making of DEAD MAIL, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in early 2024 and went on to play a number of other major international Festivals, including Toronto and Leeds. This podcast does contain DEAD MAIL spoilers, and we recommend seeing the movie before listening.