Three people have their dinner at a secluded cabin in the woods. One of the best highlights is how they fold their hands and say grace before eating. However, this time they are not offering a prayer to god. And that is because the glory is rather giving thanks to the cabin, the Lazareth that they built and which Lee (Ashley Judd) claims have provided them protection, nourishment, water, and shelter. It is specially not an insult,
It is, however, only their single world. It is easy to note how in these dark days Maeve and Imogen listen to Lee’s stories of the world before Lazareth, of people in cities and towns occupied with entertaining themselves with endless activities like omos. But it was followed up with a world pandemic. So, as you can expect everything went to shambles. The afflicted died, The healthy were practically wild.
Lazareth at least is lit with candles and mementos of the time that was before the virus. It almost feels warm and inviting or it would be were it not for the ugly reminders of the chaos of the outside world. Whenever Lee returns from a supply hunt in a full suit of hazmat protective gear the first thing she does is remove her gloves and mask so they can be incinerated. She commits her entire life to safeguarding the girls in every possible way both physically and mentally. When they inquire about going with her she says empathetically, I save you from many things. You stay here and play in the woods, This is how it must be. In the beginning, they are very young girls when the movie starts, but later on, we will watch them as teenagers, Imogen played by Katie Douglas, and Maeve by Sarah Pidgeon. They have been so sheltered by Lee that they do not much know about the world except that it is far too perilous.
The film is an exploration of three interrelated, ever-present elements that are so often addressed both in literature and cinema as they are intrinsic to the human condition and namely quite complex.
The first one is a dilemma that all parents and guardians have to deal with, that of attempting to shield children from fear and anguish, made even more complicated in stark contrast with the fear generated by the virus and the brutality of other survivors. Lee is careful not to frighten the girls to the point where they would want to leave Lazareth but manages to make them feel secure and safe as much as they are with her.
The second is the thin grating of civilization. The few remaining groups of people infected with the virus have been devolved into whatever it took to hang on to their lives. Lee quotes, Mother Nature revealed their true colors and now they are scavengers, he says. We will watch how some of them will become what they have always hated, those who take and some who seek to take.
Lee was also in the picture. The first scene of the film shows a woman arriving at the cabin looking for food and holding a photo of children. Lee is about to offer her some tins when she notices the woman scratching her shoulder, alerting her that this woman is a carrier. She perceives the threat and without a moment’s pause, he pulls the trigger.
The outside events are not the only ones that make it hard to keep the younger generation safe. There are so evident dangers through self-exploration and one growing theme of the film. Imogen and Maeve are first shown as small children but by a large part of the film, the story follows them as teens played by Katie Douglas and Sarah Pidgeon. When they realize there is a teenage boy called Owen (Shazam’s Asher Angel), they also begin to feel rebellious and Brian Aldiss’ theme of sensuality. They shelter him in Nazareth, where they can admire the sight of his muscular body and wash him while dressing his wound.
The episodes involving danger and the resolution of conflict hold a great level of suspense and unease. Wobbly candle flames and the sound of wood creaking in the early scenes of the film make the viewers feel secure but as soon as these sounds foreshadow the arrival of brutal wretches, they take a different meaning.
It is because of the concerns brought in the scenes of the film that help viewers get acknowledgment and gain recognition straight away, however, Judd who is also the producer and star, and ale, But in a shallow way.
Insight does not seem to be key in this film. It is a film that’s all about mood.
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