Desolate

Director - Rob Grant (Yesterday)
Starring - Jez Bonham (What Doesn't Kill You), Justin Sproule (Passchendaele), and Teagan Vincze (Ecstasy)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "An apocalyptic break up"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Post-apocalyptic horror films seem to be here to stay.  I remember a time when they were random and were truly something special even during the boom of the 80s brought on by Italian cinema.  Now these films are popping up by the hundred because they require no story and can be made with no budget similar to the golden age of slashers.  However, where those films from the 80s features bikers fighting each other and other gangs, we are now plagued with the undead that truly refuse to stay dead.  Last month my friends over at Wild Eye Entertainment sent me the post-apocalyptic horror flick Desolate to review.  The film was shot over three years with no script and no budget.  I can respect a film like that and I am glad Wild Eye sent it my way to check out.  Thanks!
     The film follows a young man who recently had his heart broken when his girlfriend left him.  He turns to the bottle and his life starts to spiral out of control.  His best friend, who just happens to also be friends with his ex, tries to talk to him about his problem but reveals that he has been hanging out with his ex because they both are still friends.  This greatly upsets the young drunk and he confronts his best friend about it when something explodes nearby and rocks the land around them.  They rush down the mountain and both men part ways and go home.  The young drunk reports back to his apartment to wait it out and learns that is was a terrorist attack and those exposed have become mad and will kill anyone within sight. He stays in his apartment for some time but the thought of his ex being out there alone drives him mad but before he can go rescue her someone tries to break in.  He panics and stabs the first through the door with a knife.  It turns out to be his best friend and his ex.  Now, he is confronted with a dying man on his couch and his ex who thinks he done it because he thought they were fucking.  Before they could work things out a group of survivors breaks in.  The shoot the young man and beat the shit out of the young girl before the man can get back to his feet to stop them.  Once they deal with the intruders they learn that their wounded friend is no longer their friend.
     There is so many undead/infected apocalyptic horror flicks out now that I can honestly count 50 released in the last 4 years sitting on my shelves that I have either bought or was sent for review. I understand the appeal of these flicks to filmmakers and I really enjoy them when they are done right but with so many available to watch it is easy for find dozens that are shitty.  Desolate was another film that took on the same angle but removed the undead aspect of the film and focused on the struggles one survivor faced in the same manner that the Walking Dead does making it a little different than all the films and little more fun.  The acting in this one is indie rich.  The cast shows a lot of ambition and dedication but their experience is definitely lacking.  They have a time reading the scene and determining what emotion the scene calls for.  This is something that comes with experience, age, and most of the time, direction.  The story for this one is by far not the most original but it is unique in the way it was shot.  The film completely ignores the horrors of the supernatural elements and focuses more on the horror of mankind and what they would do to their own kind in order to survive.  This was a really fun angle and showed how you really can teach an old dog new tricks.  Finally, the film does not really have any on screen kills and the ones we do get are very lackluster.  With that being said, the film does lack special effects which was surprisingly not a let down.  The film focuses more on story and does not cater to the blood covered side of horror.  Overall, Desolate is an unconventional horror film.  The flick has no budget and no gore but is still able to hold your attention.  Check it out.