Zombies are pretty much the most played out horror sub-genre across virtually every medium. To find myself watching a zombie film that felt not only fresh but insightful was quite a pleasant surprise. The Girl with All the Gifts is a thoughtful film interested in wrestling with very human reactions to the outbreak and asking the audience to consider that maybe some of the genre’s assumptions are worth pushing back on. The film challenges our understanding of what a zombie invasion would mean for humanity beyond the typical.
The film is definitely on the lower end of the budget spectrum at about six million dollars but it does an excellent job of maximizing the return on investment, the production design is quite convincing and the sheer scale of some the scenes is impressive for such limited means.
The cinematography does a great job of capturing the shifting tone of the film as the main character learns and grows throughout. The music combined with the visual presentation is quite effective at eliciting the chills most associate with a horror film. Despite the subject matter, the film isn’t oppressively dark which is nice at the current historical moment. It's no easy feat to be weaving levity and charm effortlessly into this type of narrative. The acting is solid, Sennia Nanua is particularly impressive for a child actor whose performance much of the film rests on.
There are some minor issues here and there, some of the cuts are a little sloppy and a few of the dialogue transitions are not particularly subtle. But overall, I had a great time with this film and enjoyed the more restrained approach to the genre that still serves up the scares.
8/10 Thankfully not a PlayStation exclusive