I believe a lot of tv shows and movies ask this question: What would you do in a zombie apocalypse? Now, a lot of people would talk survivalist skills since those are the ones highlighted in the small and big screen. However, the other part of that equation is rarely addressed: Say you can make it alive, what would you do then?
La Nuit à dévoré le monde is not your typical zombie film. I think all zombie films get described as “not your typical zombie film” because it’s never about the zombies, but about the survivors. However, in all zombie media, you’re supposed to be in a constant state of alert. Someone taking a time out is a sure signal of doom. But in real life, if you were to survive and manage to get yourself some refuge, what would you do then?
That’s the question that director Dominique Rocher tries to address with this film. In this case, our survivor is the unlikely person of Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) who’s just a musician that seems to have fallen asleep during the zombie breakout. Not to worry, you will receive enough thrills to convince you there’s danger about. Sam will need to secure his surroundings first. But as time moves on, survival for survival’s sake seems insufficient.
Sam seems to be a quick learner. Stuck in his ex-girlfriend’s flat, he’s been spared the worst. He will have to gather and stockpile his resources while being completely isolated from everyone else. The movie addresses the loneliness he feels in a very humane way. Sam leaves one zombie stuck in an elevator alive because he needs someone to talk to.
I don’t want to give anything away, because I enjoyed this movie very much. You will get your times of action and suspense, but it soon becomes apparent that it’s the times of long inactivity without company that might be creeping up on Sam’s psyche. Is he the last person on Earth? Since we see the world through his perception, he seems to be. The days and nights are becoming longer and the zombies are at the door.
Highly recommended. It’s one of the many atypical zombie movies where the focus might start on survival of the body but ends in survival of the mind. Every other movie has end up with a journey of its survivors seeking sanctuary somewhere. In this one, it’s just one person stuck in one location. It’s no longer a question about you having what it takes to survive, but whether or not you should.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 