Running Time: 90 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Frank Grillo, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Jonathan Cherry. Amy Matysio
Released in the same year as his excellent wrestling feature, Dark Match, writer/director Lowell Dean turns his hand to a post-apocalyptic setting for Die Alone. The feature opens within a field, where Ethan (Douglas Smith) stands overlooking a lone house in the landscape. Memories come to his mind about the past, flitting between embraces with his beloved girlfriend, Emma (Kimberly-Sue Murray), and blood-soaked visions that are painful reminders. This is all before Ethan puts a gun to his head and blows his brains out, with voiceover sharing that there are memories he would rather forget.
What events led up to such a desperate act? That becomes clear as the film cuts to earlier, with Ethan awakening inside a bloodied and broken car. It turns out that he has amnesia, and finds himself alone within a distressing landscape populated by ecological zombies known as The Reclaimed. Searching for his girlfriend, he unites forces with a rugged survivalist known as Mae (Carrie-Anne Moss) as they face difficulties from human and inhuman foes.
In the aftermath of popular works like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, it can be difficult to find entries into the zombie genre which stand out from the pack. There are times when Lowell Dean's latest feature reaches those same problems, as new faces arrive to highlight people's struggle to trust one another, or flashbacks embrace clichés regarding lost lovers. When a scene arrives showing Ethan and Emma playing around under very white bedsheets, one wonders if this moment is meant to be a parody.
What's more welcoming are the braver moments within the narrative, offering fascinating looks into the new normal within this world, and highlighting the terrific practical effects. An intriguing moment of stillness arrives as the reclaimed hide out during a rainy evening, yet the standout moment intercuts memories of past love with a more gruesome present, offering an interesting take regarding all-consuming love. Central to this story are a likeable pairing who are brought alive with solid performances, depicting Ethan trying to overcome his amnesia to find his girlfriend, and Mae looking out for the lovesick youth within a world that has irrevocably changed.
The third-act is used to fill in the blanks with revelations abound, including one that was heavily foreshadowed. It also includes an appearance by Frank Grillo, who appears in the film for far less time than his positioning on the poster would suggest. At its core, this is a tale of the lengths people undertake for love, especially within a world where so much is uncertain.
Despite moments where the ending feels a bit rushed, this is an interesting story about humanity facing extinction in the wake of mother nature's apparent reckoning. As people hold onto the past out of fear for the unknown, what is needed is the courage to let go and move towards a new future. As such, Die Alone is an interesting take on well-trodden material.
Die Alone is available now on Digital Download
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