Wow! The acting is fantastic. I was mesmerized by these performances. And not just one or two of these people convinced me – they all did. The director must be very gifted with working with actors as well.
It’s shot like a documentary – 95% of which is told through interviews with a handful of the handful of people left in the bay area. Since it’s shot so believably, I feel I must remind the viewer that this is fiction. I had to keep reminding myself. Actually, the first 5-10 minutes I sat there asking myself what disease is this that they are talking about – I didn’t remember hearing about it on the news.
In the future, a virus wipes out almost the entire population. One hundred and eighty-six people are left in San Francisco’s bay area. This film is a supposed documentary twelve years after the devastation. Two of the 186, fire up some old video gear and interview some of the other survivors. In a somewhat detached way, the survivors talk about building a new life, with new community rules and interactions. They also reflect on the good and bad of the last life so filled with stimuli from all directions vs. this quiet life.
While I praise the performances, direction and idea – I don’t think they add up well in the format of a feature length film. For one, the few incidents of “action” are weaker than the interviews. Secondly, the entire piece lacks a strong emotional connection and a dramatic resonance. But, the curiosity factor is achingly high, and those performances, improv/scripting are stellar. It would play better as a mock-reality show in ˝ hour episodes. Or even better yet, in daily 3-minute bites on the internet. If the filmmakers haven’t done so already – I highly suggest that. Hook the viewer on 60 episodes, then sell the entire DVD on the site.
Either way, I expect good things from these creative people in the future.
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