(Iceland/Switzerland/New Zealand, 97 min.)
Dir. Craig Zobel, Writ. Nissar Moodi
Starring: Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine
 |
| Chiwetel Ejiofor and Margot Robbie star in Z for Zachariah. VVS Films. |
Adaptations of young adult literature are a-plenty, but
depth in this stream of YA-to-screen endeavors is often scarce. Z for Zachariah, alternatively, exceeds
the limitations of many YA adaptations because this take on Richard C.
O’Brien’s novel doesn’t cater to the teen demographic. One could instead argue
that Z for Zachariah betrays its
literary origins by offering a perceptive dystopian drama that breathes life
into the YA world; however, young readers and young viewers are bound to find
the film as equally accessible as the book is, since this minimalist drama
finds power in understatement. With only three actors and a great story, Z for Zachariah tackles some of the most
fundamental questions of human nature with philosophical depth.
Z for Zachariah is now on home video after enjoying a sleeper-hit status after playing the smarthouse circuit in a summer release, and it’s likely to find second wind as film fans search for hidden gems amidst the video lists. The film calls to mind John Hillcoat’s adaptation of The Road with its stark first images, although it’s worth noting that O’Brien’s novel predates Cormac McCarthy’s The Road by over thirty years, but the film offers favourable comparisons to The Road for its sparse and sober realization of a post-apocalyptic world.
This loose take on Z
for Zachariah stars Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Suite Française)
as Ann Burden, a lone survivor remaining after a nuclear catastrophe decimated
the world. Ann remains alone with her dog Faro in a lush verdant oasis
surrounded by the doom and gloom ruins of civilization. For one reason or
another, and for reasons that Z for
Zachariah smartly withholds, Ann’s farm and the outlying area endure, green
and untainted, while the rest of the world is barren and dead.
Ann seems alone until she encounters a man in a safe suit,
who walks the road and reads radiation ratings in search for safety. That man
is John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave), whom Ann is relieved to see after spending a
year and a very hard winter in isolation. Loomis, much edgier than Ann, draws a
gun but soon sees an ally. They form a quick bond in mutual survival as Ann
invites John into her home and he helps cultivate the land in turn.
The script by Nissar Moodi paces Z for Zachariah smartly as Ann and Loomis develop trust and glow
through the sustenance of human connection that restores them like a good dose
of vitamin C and chicken soup after a cold. The film naturally finds a love
story in their tale of survival as Loomis introduces the idea of “rebuilding”
and “starting again.” Whether Ann and John are the only lover left alive on
Earth is initially unclear, as the film withholds the context of the catastrophe
and restricts references to the world outside the safe zone of Ann’s farm to
references of death and misery. Ann and John
forge a deeper connection, a bit forcefully on John’s part and a bit
reluctantly on Ann’s end, and the film asks if they see their encounter as a
fate of star-crossed lovers or as an act of fate that tasks them with
repopulating the world.
The romance is as ambiguous as the post-apocalyptic setting,
as both Robbie and Ejiofor approach their characters not as lovers or
romantics, but as basic humans conflicted with existential questions that
extend them. Is love even relevant if they’re the only female and male on
Earth? Could two people who wouldn’t love each other under different circumstances
forge a relationship under extremes? Robbie is very strong as Ann, who wrestles
with questions of faith, family, and loyalty. Her Ann is an innocent in the
world and embodies a hopefulness and optimism as if she’s the last lingering light.
Ejiofor, on the other hand, gives a complexly layered performance as Loomis.
The subtle paranoia of Ejiofor’s performance makes the character difficult to
read. He, like the world of Z for
Zachariah, is an enigma.
The relationship between Ann and John complicates itself further
when a third party, Caleb (Chris Pine), enters the green space of Ann’s garden.
Competition for Ann becomes fierce as Loomis sees Caleb as a threat and vice
versa. A bond for survival is now a love triangle, and a winner/loser dynamic
is in the air as both men tacitly try to prove themselves the better. Neither
man is to be trusted, although director Craig Zobel (who so boldly tests the
limits of human gullibility in Compliance)
shifts the balance and the audience’s allegiance as either man could be friend
or foe. The film adopts a morality play as essential human drives conflict with
the survival of all three players, while the casting of Ejiofor and Pine as romantic rivals introduces a provocative element of race to the love triangle. On one level, Loomi's success and potential to populate the world with Ann means an end to racial divides, while Cabel's conquest over Loomis threatens a whitewashed world as the human race endures as a homogeneous if he and Ann are left to replenish the world.
Z for Zachariah
creates an intriguing world through character and atmosphere as the minimalism
of Zobel’s direction relies on the triangular conflict between Ann, Loomis, and
Caleb, and leaves the audience with an uncertain world. The three-handed drama
lets the trio of actors develop strong relationships and find depth and nuance
to their characters as they challenge the audience to see them as worthy
contenders to keep the human race afloat. If survival of the fittest is the
endgame, Z for Zachariah is an Alpha among
YA adaptations.
The disc:
A/V: The 1080p
Blu-ray transfer translates well to home video screens as the faded palette of Z for Zachariah lets the greenery of the
landscape pop out amidst grey skies. Sound levels are fine in the Dolby 5.1
True HD tracks. The effective and restrained use of music lets the film play
well on a variety of personal and home theatre systems.
Extras: Bonus
features in Z for Zachariah follow
the film’s philosophy of “less is more,” as the film omits a director
commentary (which would undermine the subtlety of the direction, anyways) and
offers a concise “Making of” featurette that includes highlight scenes with
interviews from Zobel, Robbie, Ejiofor, Pine, and Moodi discussing the themes,
characters, and world of Z for Zachariah.
Audiences looking for more can head to the bonus feature of extended interviews
with the cast and crew, from which the snippets of the making of featurette are
drawn, with Ejiofor’s take on Loomis proving especially insightful and Robbie’s
Australian accent and spark giving viewers extra reasons to appreciate the
understatement of her performance as Ann. Pine doesn’t appear in the interview
feature, but his sound bites in the “making of” featurette don’t leave one
wanting to hear more from him, either. A handful of deleted scenes are worth
watching, including some that accentuate the uncertainty of Loomis’s allegiance
to Ann in the first half of the film. (Bonus features accompany the Blu-ray
disc.)
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Z for Zachariah is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD from VVS
Films.
