| Z For Zachariah (2015) — movie review | |
| Today’s review is for the post-apocalyptic survival movie “Z For Zachariah” starring Margot Robbie as Ann Burden (the farm girl), Chiwetel Ejiofor as John Loomis (the scientist), and Chris Pine as Caleb (the country boy). | |
| The basic setup is “something” happens to the world and it becomes a radioactive waste. It’s implied this is due to an exchange of nuclear weapons, but I don’t remember it being precisely stated. Anyway, the movie starts with the farm girl being all alone. It appears she has been alone for at least a full year, as she relates surviving a winter. A scientist enters the frame. He has managed to survive because he has a suit, drugs and a small, portable shelter. However, he falls ill from exposure to radioactive water. The girl nurses him back to health. | |
| Despite her encouragement, he resists becoming intimate with her. He appears to have memories of happier times with an African-American female, but her status is unknown. Eventually, loneliness overcomes hesitancy and the two become intimate. | |
| After some period of time, another man (Pine / the country boy) appears on the scene. There is no real explanation for his survival because he lacks the suit, drugs or shelter of the scientist, but whatever… | |
| Slowly, the three begin trusting each other and working together. Ejiofor / the scientist continues to have bad feelings about intimacy with a white female and “gives” permission to the country boy to become intimate with Robbie / the farm girl. One night, the scientist gets drunk and passes out. The farm girl and the country boy engage in sex. | |
| The following day, the “social” dynamic has changed and conflict seems inevitable. The two men continue working together. One day, the country boy places himself in a hazardous situation. The scientist saves the country boy, but at the very instant of safety, the two men lock eyes. | |
| The scene shifts back to the farmhouse and the scientist is again alone with the farm girl. He tells her the country boy has decided to move on. The movie ends with no resolution of whether or not the country boy was killed and / or if two remaining survivors reestablish their relationship. | |
| Final recommendation: moderate to strong. I like all three actors in most of the other roles I’ve seen them in – Pine less than Robbie or Ejiofor, and this film is no exception. The movie is interesting as a character study of the three “types”, but it didn’t really seem to have a direction which engaged me or made me want to root for any of the actors. As such, despite it being beautifully filmed and reasonably well acted, I was left with feeling piqued but not fully entertained. Hence, my recommendation is more “moderate” than “strong”. | |
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| On This Day In: | |
| 2018 | Sounds Like #45’s White House |
| 2017 | Have We Started Winning Yet? |
| 2016 | Still Springy |
| 2015 | Well Concealed |
| 2014 | The History Of Warriors |
| 2013 | A Cult Of Ignorance |
| 2012 | Counting Valor |
| Understanding Faith | |
| 2011 | I Can Hear You Now |
| 2010 | Inception |
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