Fish and Cherries Productions

Z for Zachariah is an odd film to talk about. On the one hand, it offers a fairly unique take on life after the end of the world and serves as a great character study. On the other, from what I know of the book it was based on (having looked at an online synopsis), it takes so many liberties that it’s practically a different story. I usually tend to judge things on their own merits, but since the original story was a psychological thriller about the end of the world and the trailer looked to be the same thing*, I can’t help but feel a little cheated when I tune in and get a love triangle drama framed against the end of the world.

*I should note that before I went into this movie or even saw the trailer, I didn’t even know it was an adaptation. The only time I learned about the original book was after the fact when I looked up the movie online for some clarity.

This is definitely a slow paced film, which is great for fleshing out atmosphere and understanding the complex characters. At least, that’s how it works at its best. At its worst, it can be a bit boring and tedious, to the point where not a lot of it stuck with me a few days later. The ending, however, is rich with questions, interpretations, and some decent drama. I will admit to being a sucker for the greener apocalypses (is it weird that we have a plural for that?), but even I can look past that to see when the film does well. I really am disappointed that I didn’t get the psychological thriller I thought I was going to get, but I can chalk that up to the marketing department. On the whole, even though it’s good, I’m not sure how much I can recommend this film. You’ll have to put up with a lot of slow scenes and it’s hard to tell if anyone will be satisfied with the payoff. I don’t want to hate on this film, it’s just hard to know how to feel in the end.