Seven passengers are on a side road, traveling from Shahdad to Kerman before sunrise. They’re not that far when one of them is found dead by the others. The emergency refuses to send them an ambulance since the death hasn’t been verified by a doctor. The sun hasn’t risen and finding a doctor seems almost impossible. They decide to drive to the police precinct and explain what has happened, as one of the passengers suggested. Before getting there, they search the dead man’s body for an ID, an address, or a cellphone, and instead find a lot of money, hiding under his vest. Along the way, the passengers are convinced one by one, to split the money between themselves and bury his corpse.
Overall, “Cause of Death: Unknown” is a serviceable if unremarkable feature. One of the positive aspects here is the rather enjoyable setup from writer/director Zarnegar that allows for an intriguing premise. The idea of the group stuck out in the desert with very little communication and a tragedy unfolding in the middle of the trip comes off quite well. It’s executed nicely enough that the confusion of the incident creates a highly tense relationship between everyone that devolves nicely into a thrilling expose on the nature of human geed. The final half of the film revolving around the fight for the money at the site gives this a great touch since the series of obstacles in their way provide a great setup.
On top of that, there’s a lot to like with the technical aspects of “Cause of Death.” Given the desolate desert surroundings that take place here, cinematographer Davood Malek Hosseini provides a sweeping sense of mood and impending dread in the situation. The dirtiness of the characters and the overall sun-drenched atmosphere create just as ominous an atmosphere as the situation they find themselves in and set up a rather full look at everything. That also serves the resolution quite nicely, making for a generally shocking turn of events as the reveal that comes about is enhanced by a series of impressive camera angles that helps make the moment that much more shocking.
However, there are a few factors with “Cause of Death” that bring it down. The biggest drawback is the underwhelming pacing and tempo that results in a long dry spell of activity. That occurs in favor of placing long stretches of conversations between the participants rather than anything thrilling or exciting. The escalating situation rarely brings about a sense of action from anyone who instead spends the majority of the film going through discussion about what to do with the money left behind or how to get back to the village. It drags on far longer than necessary and manages to drain the life from the film since it takes way over an hour before the group does anything with the money. Winding up causing the film to run on longer than necessary, these factors are the few detriments displayed.
With a fun setup and some generally appealing technical aspects, “Cause of Death: Unknown” is serviceable enough but is let down by a lagging tempo that drains life more often than not. Viewers who don’t mind these factors or are generally curious about the approach here won’t be too put off by this one.
