★★★★
Directed by: Brian Largo
Written by: Brian Largo
Starring: Brian Largo
,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight
It’s a zombie apocalypse! In the movie world that usually means viewers are going to see zombies running (or walking) around, eating people and a handful of individuals struggling for survival! Plenty of gore, dead bodies, action and mayhem!
However this particular found footage horror film, which was filmed by one person during the Covid-19 quarantine in Argentina, tells a story that takes place during a zombie outbreak in a rather unusual way. The audience will not see guns, heroes fighting the undead and the gore is rather limited.
The plot is rather straightforward: A man has brought his baby daughter into an abandoned house, in order to find shelter from the danger. The mother did not make it. He uses a camera to document his thoughts and experiences. As time goes by he becomes more and more desperate.
As mentioned this is a found footage film, therefore the audience gets the impression that it is a simple man filming himself. For the majority of the movie, the camera is stationary, mostly observing the man as he speaks or does other actions, including playing a guitar. Nearly the entire narrative takes place inside the house and the lighting is very minimum, creating a rather claustrophobic feeling. The man is the only person (at least living person) seen in the film and the camera often gets a closeup of his face as he talks.
There are zombies to be seen, although their appearances are brief. They are seen from a distance, as the hero films them. Even from afar, they appear menacing and move the way the undead would probably move!
There are also scenes that show the chaos that is taking place outside the house. They consist of brief shots of abandoned and destroyed neighborhoods, and they give an idea of what is happening to the world, which is far from good!
The main focus of Zurviving is the man himself. The movie examines the effects the terrible events are having on him, and they are devastating. The protagonist does a great job in portraying a man, who is falling apart.
There is plenty of action, but not in the likes of the Walking Dead or Resident Evil films. This is a psychological horror film and the action is psychological. The action is the way the man reacts to events and the way he describes what is going on and how he feels.
Largo has made a dark, frightening film that explores a journey of survival. His performance and creativity make this feature a must-see!
#JasonKnight
