Existence

Utter melodramatic crap. I gave it one star because it finally ended.

A surprising little gem, this post apocalyptic slow burner is beautifully filmed and well acted for a such a low budget film. An unexpected pleasure from nz, this is no action packed blockbuster, it's a real sci fi where you don't get all the answers spoon fed to you, and you might not like what you find...

I thank prime for every so often allowing me to stumble a cross these films so often hidden in a sea of vanity projects.

Existence is a low budget film, but in its tiny setting and sparsely populated world, this does it more justice than disservice.

Some might say that the story is one without destination, that the character's lack much, if any explanation, but again this showing, rather than telling approach leaves so much more open.

The music score is minimal, but hauntingly beautiful, and sound is used again and again to display the unknown.

Very little is explained in this film; much of the story is shown though actions and interactions, and answers are lacking, forcing the viewer to judge for themselves, or just to question.

I would strongly recommend this film to anyone who wants a break from railroad narrative and just wants to sit back and watch something beautiful, if not stark.

What a hidden gem, I only came across this because I got free Prime with my phone plan and all it has are x b grade movies which are mostly so bad you should be getting paid to watch them! But I'm a real big fan of post apocalyptic/dystopian sci fi and this was such a clever plot, it might take you a bit to make sense of it and you have to use your brain a bit as a lot is left to the imagination. The scenery is stunning and the lonely dark feel to this movie is disturbingly good. Grass is always greener on the other side is what they say

The film is stripped down and simple, which gives the story plenty of room to develop and build some intrigue, which the film does effectively in the beginning. However a few missteps in character and a lack of a more definitive conclusion reduce enjoyment of the film.

The main complaints: -Character misstep Our protagonist questions the status quo of the patriarch of the group. However we don't see anything to make us believe that she'd be correct to question this so her rebelliousness just seems petulant rather than justified. Their first meetings with the rider also seems unrealistic (for the film), especially as all we've seen up until this point is the rider as a very real threat. Their actions are also very unmotivated and, I hate to use this word, 'problematic' and is probably the main scene that takes you out of the movie and reduces any sympathy.

-Conclusion The film asks many questions throughout the film about the world that once was and what lies beyond the fence. It provides some answers and clues but the main question isn't answered. You're given a few minor clues to what it could be, but nothing concrete to the point of understanding. It also takes away from one of the films reveals, where the revelation would be more shocking if we knew what the riders were guarding. This is also at the climax, which means it's the last thing you're left with. The film also ends somewhat ambiguously, but it feels like that should be where the final act begins, and you start to get some answers.

The moral of the story also seems to be a 'the grass isn't always greener' type analogy, however it is rather jarring when you consider the world is freezing, isolated island where you can barely survive.

However there are many good things...Such as: -Great NZ scenery -Fantastic production design -The sound, script, acting create a sense of a sense that this is a real world, as well as an intrigue to see what will happen -Doesn't spam you with exposition (I know it sounds hypocritical but there's a line between too much and not enough) -Well paced

Overall, it's not amazing, but has enough going for it to be worth a watch. You might leave a little disappointed in the ending, but you won't feel as if you've wasted your time.