Over the last few years, theaters have been flooded with zombie apocalypse movies from Shaun of the Dead to World War Z. However, Here Alone – which won the 2016 Audience Award at Tribeca – goes much further than trying to survive.
The film centers around a 28-year-old woman named Ann (Lucy Walters, who stars in the TV show Power) who is struggling to survive after a mysterious epidemic decimates society. To escape those infected, she takes refuge in New York’s upstate wilderness. Although Ann thinks that enduring the apocalypse alone will be her key to survival she is haunted by the memories of her past. On top of fighting with her memories, she also battles the current bloodthirsty threat that prowls outside her camp – those infected by the epidemic.
When her food supply runs low, Ann must make a run into a nearby town. During one of these runs, she encounters a teenage girl named Olivia (Gina Piersanti) and her injured stepfather, Chris (Adam David Thompson). Feeling the sense to help them Ann brings them into her life and regimen of survival.
The Same Theme – Zombie Apocalypse
Although the movie’s themes are the same as any other out there, the premise is not about the extinction of humankind, but its survival. How would someone survive an apocalypse whether it is a flu pandemic or bloodthirsty creatures hunting you?
Fend For Oneself
Another way that Here Alone stands out from other zombie films and series is that the main character, Ann wants to be alone! Many survival guide and movies point out your survival rate go up when you’re in a group. However, the film concentrates on the individual and what are the pros and cons of helping another person in need. Instead of focusing on the group’s decision to help someone. Accordingly, the film is more about how we as individuals would behave when all our social norms and values are stripped off.
From the trailer alone you can see that to create a zombie film you don’t need a big fancy budget to keep viewers at the edge of their seat. Currently, the film is looking for distributors.
