Vicky Krieps on the feminist Western ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’ and how she leaves behind past roles

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

TORONTO (AP) — Vicky Krieps stars in Viggo Mortensen’s feminist Western “The Dead Don’t Hurt” as a woman assaulted while her partner is away fighting for the Union army. The film is the latest in a naturally evolving project for Krieps of playing women throughout history who reject the social conventions of their times. In last year’s acclaimed “Corsage,” she played the independently minded 19th century Austrian Empress Elisabeth. In the ’50s-set “Phantom Thread,” only her Alma is capable of countering a battle of wills with Day-Lewis’s fastidious couturier. In “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” Vivienne packs her bags to flee after the assault, then resolves to stay. The film — and Krieps — is a highlight of the Toronto International Film Festival.