Review of Z for Zachariah (2015) by Rmkelly — 24 Mar 2017

Z (2015) is an oddly appealing redneck version of an end-of-the-world scenario: a nuclear catastophe has left only two people alive. Natually, the two are a man and a woman who live in a lush valley and are blindingly attractive. But just as in the original garden, all does not go well.

She's white and he's black, she's ultra-religious, he's not, and to top it off they're soon joined by a male interloper who's more attactive than either of them.

Z has just enough ambiguity to keep the viewer guessing about major plot points. The male leads (Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine.) contribute warm and convincing portraits. The woman (Margot Robbie) runs the gamut of emotions from A to B. But hey, it's the end of the world. You take what you can get.

I mentioned the plot's pleasant ambiguity but on the other hand it also contains huge holes, a meandering pace, and chin-scratching dialogue. This led me to believe that the director's attitude was "Just go with it. Of course it's confusing, it's the end of the world. You take what you can get." Flming in New Zealand and West Virginia was a good call.

Despite their physical charms and the realization that they are the last human beings on the planet, the protagonists seem only dimly aware of the facts of life. Some plausible stumbling blocks are introduced, but still. As time ticked by, their lack of interest in the preservation of the human species became more glaring yet. Eventually, the problem is solved.

Z has an odd charm. It could have aimed for profundity but chose instead to present a rather straightforward yarn and take its chances on the script and the talents of its lead actors. The script let the movie down. The male leads were more than adequate to the task, yet two stong males are not enough to save the world....nor this movie.