Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles | Review

Since the early 80s people in about two dozen major US cities, and even some South American cities, may have seen a mysterious tile laid in the pavement that reads, “Toynbee Idea In Kubrick’s 2001 Resurrect Dead On Planet Jupiter”. The cryptic and bizarre message has mostly been disregarded by the average passerby, but to Justin Duerr and his two main research partners, Colin Smith and Steve Weinik, the search for the truth behind these tiles has been an obsession since first stumbling upon the tiles. Their quest to find the covert tiler, and the meaning of his crazed message, unfolds like a punk rock private eye tale that only becomes more extraordinary as each rare bit of evidence leads to the next. Docu-helmer Jon Foy and his team of highly dedicated Toynbee tile enthusiasts give everything they have to get to the bottom of the mystery in this telling investigative doc, Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles.

As a teen in the mid 90s, Justin Duerr was a delivery boy, constantly walking the streets of Philadelphia, often spotting what are now known as Toynbee Tiles. The sheer bizarrity of the tiles, and the guerrilla nature of their installation had Duerr floored, and he wanted to know the story behind them. His interest led him to several other people also on the hunt for the truth behind the tiles. With hundreds of hours logged at the local library deep in research, a long list of phone calls, emails and interviews with a variety of people that might know just a scrap of dirt on the origins of this dark and philosophic message, Duerr and crew uncover layer after layer of secrecy that includes covert societies, short wave pirate radio broadcasts, media criticism and bird loving shut-ins. With moral issues in the balance, Duerr and crew come as close to finding the truth as they ever will.

Foy’s documentary shows immense respect for the creator of the tiles, and despite creating a film about his creation, his wish for anonymity. The history of the tiles, and their eventual media exposure is told through the eyes of Duerr and his cohorts, who have a deep connection to these strange tiles. Foy goes so far as to connect Duerr’s story of growing up to the creator of the tile’s, though with ill results. This lapse in story flow is the film’s only real issue. The film contains such a fantastic story that is spoken from the mouths of people so enthralled with its history that it becomes absolutely mesmerizing, especially for those who may be interested in street art or conspiracy theories. A massive backlog of tile photographs, and additional illustrations by Matt Rota help bring life to the already robust story. Resurrect Dead is a magnetizing modern day mystery that digs deep into the conundrum of the Toynbee tiles, and brings a bright new director to the foreground in Jon Foy.

Reviewed from the 2011 Sheffield Doc/Fest

Rating 3.5 stars