Review of Here Alone (2016) by Vds — 19 Jul 2017

Don’t be fooled by the zombie thing, this is actually a very thought-provoking movie. There’s a subtlety to it that I’ve not encountered before in this type of film. With most zombie movies you get to play the last-man-standing game, trying to guess which paper thin moron of a character will be infection free when the end credits roll. I was way off the mark here.

I knew it was going to be something good when one hour into the film there’d hardly been a zombie in sight, but I was still enthralled. If you like your movies to pose the ‘what would I do in that situation?’ question, this is really the film for you.

Naomi Watts lookie-likie Lucy Walters carries the film. She’s a gem. I felt what she felt, I rooted for her, I wanted her to survive. The setting (an empty forest) played a big part too. Lingering shots of tree-lined horizons and full moons brought home the desolation of Lucy’s situation.

The flash backs added real depth to the film, instead of just feeling like padding (as is so often the case). Lucy’s character suffered in the past, and she’s still suffering. You could only want good things for her, at the same time knowing that just ain’t gonna happen.

With the recent death of George A Romero, king of the zombie movie, it’s time to expand the genres horizons, and Here Alone does that. Rest easy George, your creation still has lots of ground to cover.