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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tribecca Film Festival Shorts: Year Zero Reviewed by Maia


In the very near future a "zombie" plague rages through New York City. The protaganist is trapped within his one bedroom apartment as chaos breaks loose just outside his doors. Being trapped inside he must confront the imminent threat of boredom, isolation, and starvation. Watching him I was wondering if he would escape his predicament as he slowly starts to lose his mind and become emaciated. A person can only go so long in total seclusion without any food before succumbing to hallucinations and physical weakness. Will he be a hero and face the monsters outside or give in to cowardice and hide within his apartment waiting for a cure and to be saved?
The good and the bad. The short film is pretty good but nothing new is explored. The pacing wasn't too bad considering it is completely told from a first person narrative and mostly takes place in one room. The running time of 23 minutes is enough time to tell the film without it getting too stale or old, but it is slightly predictable. As far as the "zombies" are concerned Year Zero alludes to the fact that these are not really zombies, or undead, but actually people being infected by a bacterial strain that transforms then into mindless, violent cannibals a la 28 days later.
However, as an avid zombie enthusiast I was thrilled to see a zombie flick set within New York City. We mostly see zombie flicks set within either the suburbs or in a desolate country setting. I'm more than positive this is all about budget restrictions as it would be too expensive to film withing the confines of New York(and no comments about I am Legend because those were vampire hybrids). So for this film animation can bring this story to life. The horrors of being trapped in a city of millions and millions of infected, as they come for you.

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