Directed By: Dominique Rocher
Written By: Jeremie Guez, Guillaume Lemans & Dominique Rocher
Based on the Novel By: Pit Agarmen
Cinematography By: Jordane Chouzenoux Editor: Isabelle Manquillet
Cast: Andres Danielsen Lie, Goldshifteh Farahani, Denis Lavant, Sigrid Bouaziz, David Kammenos
After waking up in an apartment where only the night before a party was raging, Sam is forced to come to grips with reality: He is now alone and the living dead have invaded the streets of Paris. Petrified with fear, Sam is going to have to barricade himself inside the building and organize his survival. But is he really the sole survivor?
If you are looking for a smart, artistic genre film. This is the one for you. Though I Will admit the less you know about the films premise the better.
The film works wonders with such a simple premise. Managing to keep your interest up. Especially when it is more a tale of survival of a single person. Rather then a couple or a group. It’s more contemplative as a survivor’s tale. Asking if it might be worth surviving looking at what you have to do to survive and feels like it’s own punishment at times.
There are many directions it could go. Whichever way you want to follow. To see what happens next. As it feels like a nightmare twilight zone episode.
The film sets itself up against the usual limits by keeping us interested in a single character throughout their trials and tribulations. Making day to day survival interesting while dealing with zombies.
The zombies are pretty typical as they are not styled or stylized. They move at regular speed and simple strength. Nothing that special about them other then their carnage. Though they are still murderous and greedy. A supposedly they need to eat or feast on live humans yet will survive no matter what as they are already dead. So it’s not like a vampires who need blood to survive.
Set in Europe where everyone seems to speak perfect English. The film has a more dramatic pace throughout but enough tension where we wonder when will it end and how. Hoping in a good way. As we watch his daily rituals and struggle to survive and different ways of keeping himself busy.
Luckily the film isn’t an over the top violent splatterfest. It ends up being more a drama then horror. Even as it starts off as a break up movie. It manages to keep morphing and evolving itself. So that it never stays just one thing or easily broken down.
The film offers up a realistic approach to a what if question and situations. Dealing with mentally loneliness and going stir crazy on top of everything else. Being stuck in one place. Towards the end the film uses a different approach. once other elements are introduced. That leaves the movie to have some kind of hope. As so far it has had a more fatalistic mentality and approach. Preserving more as a fantasy and introducing thoughts not said.
The film is smart in it’s ideas, rationale and techniques.
GRADE: B-
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