The Dead Don’t Hurt – Watch the trailer for Viggo Mortensen’s new Western

The Dead Don’t Hurt is a 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 relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen). After meeting 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 a 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 film was written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. He also produced and composed the music for the film. He stars alongside Vicky Krieps, Solly McLeod, Garret Dillahunt, Colin Morgan, Ray McKinnon, W. Earl Brown, Atlas Green, and Danny Huston.

The Dead Don’t Hurt is in US cinemas on 31st May 2024.