Z for Zachariah (film)

Z for Zachariah is a 2015 apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Craig Zobel and starring Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine. Written by Nissar Modi, it is based on the 1974 posthumously published book of the same name by Robert C. O'Brien, though the plot differs in some significant ways. The film's plot also resembles that of the 1959 Harry Belafonte movie The World, the Flesh and the Devil, which features a love triangle between a black engineer, white woman, and white man who may be the last people on Earth. The film was released on August 28, 2015, in the United States by Roadside Attractions. It received generally positive reviews from critics who mostly praised Robbie's performance. It grossed $121,461 at the box office.

Plot
Ann Burden, the seemingly sole survivor of a recent nuclear apocalypse, lives an agrarian life on her family's valley farmstead with her dog. She is sheltered from the radioactive contaminants outside the valley by rocky hillsides, favorable weather patterns, and an abundant supply of ground-fed water.

One day, Ann encounters another survivor, a man named John Loomis. He claims to be an engineer, who, aided by medicines and a radiation suit, walked from a distant government bunker to Ann's valley. John unknowingly bathes in a radioactive spring, and immediately becomes sick with radiation poisoning, but is nursed back to health by Ann, who welcomes him into her home.

John regains his strength, and gradually, becomes part of Ann's humble rustic life. He helps Ann pump diesel from local petroleum pumps and gets the farm's long-disused tractor running to expand her gardens for the winter. Ann tells John about her parents and younger brother who left the valley to find other survivors, but never returned.

John speculates that he could generate hydro-electricity to power the farmhouse’s dead generator from the nearby waterfall, by using a water-wheel fashioned from the Burden chapel’s planks and beams. Ann is uncomfortable with this proposal, citing her father's involvement as preacher and her own deeply-held Christian beliefs. John chooses to not pursue the project further.

Ann and John grow closer, cultivating crops and preparing for long-term winter habitation. Their domestic accord is marred by occasional tensions, notably involving matters of religion and John’s drinking. The two come to the verge of initiating a sexual relationship, but John declines, claiming a sexual relationship will change them, and he needs more time.

Mysterious phenomena, including missing eggs and glimpses of a shadowy figure at the chapel, culminate in the arrival of a third survivor, a man named Caleb. Although Ann welcomes Caleb into the house, John resents Caleb, stating "whites belong with whites". John questions Caleb's backstory and motives, while Caleb repeatedly emphasizes the religious connection he shares with Ann, in stark contrast to John.

The three survivors slowly settle into a marginally-stable partnership. Both men share post-apocalyptic horrors they witnessed before reaching the valley. John describes a radiation-poisoned child begging him for death and that he couldn't bring himself to oblige. Caleb describes watching the other underground miners kill each other in a fit of claustrophobic paranoia.

Later, John privately confides to Ann his belief the dying boy was her long-absent brother and confesses to having killed him out of mercy. Caleb pressures Ann to go forward with the water-wheel project, and work commences on tearing down her father's chapel for materials.

Perceiving their mutual attraction, John awkwardly gives Ann consent to pursue a romantic relationship with Caleb, but belies his grief and anger in losing Ann through his remarks. Shortly thereafter, following a celebratory dinner, a heavily intoxicated John tells Ann he loves her before passing out in a bedroom in Ann's home. After failing to wake John, seeming to want his affection, Ann joins Caleb in the adjoining bathroom, where the two engage in sexual activity. The two men finish the water-wheel, moving it and its wooden flume into place atop the waterfall. Encumbered by the bulky radiation suit, Caleb slips twice during his rope-assisted climb up the mossy cliffside. During the second slip, the two men silently lock eyes, both holding the rope, while Caleb teeters on the cliff's edge.

John returns to the farmhouse alone. Ann apologizes for her earlier indiscretion and John claims Caleb left in search of other settlements. Ann takes this news badly, chasing after Caleb but not finding him, and lapses into a sullen silence. The farmhouse's electric lights and refrigeration are restored. Ann realizes John has moved her beloved church organ and three pews into the barn. Ann, playing a hymn on the organ, exchanges a glance with John and he prays behind her.

Cast

 * Chiwetel Ejiofor as John Loomis
 * Margot Robbie as Ann Burden
 * Chris Pine as Caleb

Production
The three principal cast members were announced in May 2013, which at the time included Amanda Seyfried. Seyfried, however, would eventually drop out and be replaced with Margot Robbie.

Set in the Eastern United States, the film was shot mostly in New Zealand. Principal photography began on January 27, 2014, in Canterbury, around the city of Christchurch. Director Craig Zobel and cinematographer Tim Orr drew on Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky's films, like Solaris (1972), The Mirror (1975), and Stalker (1979) for inspiration, incorporating landscapes into the story and for the use of desaturated color. The film was shot digitally on an Arri Alexa camera and Panavision anamorphic lenses. Additional scenes at the opening of the film were shot in Welch, West Virginia in March 2014.

Release
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2015. Prior to the premiere of the film, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film.

The film was released both theatrically and on demand in the United States on August 28, 2015, by Roadside Attractions.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 79% based on reviews from 89 critics, with an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's consensus states: "Z for Zachariah wrings compelling drama out of its simplistic premise -- albeit at a pace that may test the patience of less contemplative viewers." On Metacritic it has a score of 68 out of 100, based on 28 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Max Nicholson of IGN awarded 7.7 out of 10, saying "While the film isn't without a few tonal flaws, the performances -- particularly Robbie's -- keep the story grounded in a sublime, post-apocalyptic reality." Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com awarded it two and a half out of 4, saying "There are many sharply written, directed and performed moments of illumination and anxiety."