Only the Dead Know Burbank

In actor Tatum’s unusual, captivating debut, set in Germany and the U.S. in the early 20th century, a woman cursed with immortality eventually finds comfort in filmmaking. Maddy Ulm narrates her story with a wry pragmatism that doesn’t conceal her underlying melancholy over her unchanging condition, and her longing for the experiences and feelings that only mortals can have. Film proves to be her outlet, and horror her specialty. When one of her silent films is picked up by Universal Pictures, she heads from Bavaria to Hollywood and is soon working on some of the most famous movies of the age. Maddy loves the studio and delights in haunting the nooks and crannies of the sets, but her pervasive sense of loneliness is always evident, and she bears the crushing knowledge that she’ll be forever trapped in the body of a young woman. Spanning the course of about 20 years leading up to the rise of Hitler, this bitingly witty and darkly vibrant concoction features an irresistible heroine, and the gorgeous, lush writing easily conjures the grit and glamour of golden age Hollywood. Maddy’s story is crass, lyrical, and even tragic. Cameos by Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff will undoubtedly delight film buffs, as will the meticulously researched depiction of the dawn of filmmaking. Agent: Noah Ballard, Curtis Brown Ltd. (Oct.)