After the hype created by Bird Box, I checked this out.
It's quite a departure for writer / director Perry Bhandal whose first movie was about a Hitman growing up in the slums of Romania. That movie was pretty well received and it would have been easy to Bhandal carry on down that route. Instead he's chosen to try something completely that couldn't be more different. The kind of choice that can either kill or accelerate a career.
Whilst it doesn't hit every mark he aims for it's a very good film and shows Bhandal's not your run of the mill filmaker interested in just churning out a single genre movies.
The movies drops us straight into the story. Somethings happened and we find out that most of the worlds population has disappeared and there's a lethal wind that's mopping up the rest of humanity. Like birdbox and the happening it ignores naure and the animals. The ecological message is loud and clear in this movie and Bhandal clearly thinks the world would be better off without humans (or a lot less of them).
It starts quickly with Sira played by Flynn Allen (who ably shoulders the lead role) sets off on his journey when his sick mother passes. His departure feels a little too quick but when you make the connection with where he is going you understand why.
He's joined by Lilly played my Matilda Freeman (who is brilliant) a little girl that got lost when her family was ambushed by the wind.
We also find that Sira has a scanner that can detect the wind so armed with this
they set off to the place that grants wishes whilst trying to avoid this lethal wind.
They come across a bunch of characters, good, bad and misguided. Peter Guiness who plays the priest is particularly good.
Jennife Scott who plays a misguided scientists is new on the scene and is a pretty good actress and of course Luke Goss needs no introduction plays a sniper who has lost a loved one.
Each of the characters has a compelling reason to join Sira and Lilly on their journey to their ultimate destination and for that Bhandal should be congratulated for creating a compelling narrative.
There is an unexpected twist two thirds of the way in and the ending is almost like a religous experience.
The film is good. There is an environmental subtext to it. It is eerie, disturbing and mysterious. I can understand what Bhandal tried to do and he largely succeeded with a I would say a fantasy sci fi. It will be interesting to see what he does next.
