Starring: Senna Nanua, Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, Paddy Considine
Directed By: Colm McCarthy
Plot: In a dystopian reality overrun by zombies, a military facility is conducting experiments on children who carry the virus, but don’t present as zombie unless provoked. One of these children is Melanie (Nanua), and you get a sense immediately that she’s different from the others. After the base is overrun, a small team fights to survive while Melanie constantly challenges everything they know about the “hungries”.
What Works: This film is destined to be a cult classic through no fault of its own. It’s a fantastic film, and a different take on the zombie genre. How this film wasn’t given a proper theatrical release is actually somewhat mindblowing considering all the shit we do throw in theatres, and how this is actually a quality film. I’m not alone in that consensus as the film has an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. So how could a film that critics love actually get shoved straight-to-video? Especially with the zombie genre so popular. This film is really well written and beautifully shot, more like a drama and not an action/horror zombie film. The director does a great job of rotating the camera in scenes, giving us even more atmosphere. Senna Nanua is just another brilliant child actress who gives so much depth to Melanie, as we grow to care about her. She might be evil, but it is clearly not her choice. The rest of the cast does good work, especially Glenn Close, who I didn’t expect to see in a film of this type.
What Doesn’t Work: Sometimes the dark scenes are almost too dark, and its hard to see what’s happening. Granted, I had to see this on DVD because there was no other option, but I definitely had a bit of a problem in the dark scenes.
Final Word: Absolutely give this film a shot. If you like horror films, this one is definitely a top mark for the genre. I have a strong feeling that when this year is over, I will still be amazed by how much I loved this film, and how it might actually end up in my top 10.
Final Grade: A
