Based on Robert C. O’Brien’s 1974 novel and adapted for the screen by writer Nissar Modi (Breaking at the Edge) and director Craig Zobel (Compliance), Z for Zachariah offers an intimate, character-driven take on the nuclear holocaust, featuring only three characters played by Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine.
In the film, Robbie plays a mountain girl named Ann Burden, who survived the fall of humanity by living in a small but picturesque valley with a self-contained weather system. One day, she comes across scientist John Loomis (Ejiofor), who discovers Ann’s proverbial Eden by traveling there in a biohazard suit. Relieved to meet another living soul, Ann welcomes John with open arms, and the two begin a new life together. But when another survivor, Caleb (Pine), finds his way to Ann’s land, emotions run high as the balance is disrupted, and jealousy amongst the group ensues.
In this particular end-of-the-world scenario, Zobel cuts out all the exposition and worldbuilding that usually comes with these types of movies and instead focuses on the characters and their interactions. While survival is still very much a part of the story, the characters spend very little time contemplating what happened or happens outside of the valley. All that matters is the three of them and their vital, but extremely fragile relationships.
Robbie is easily the standout in this, and she delivers an excellent performance that exudes power, softness, control and vulnerability all at once. I really liked her in The Wolf of Wall Street, but here she is truly great. Make no mistake, the actress is a force to be reckoned with on screen (and, as a side note, I’m even more excited now to see her portrayal of Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie).
Ejiofor also exhibits moments of brilliance as John, specifically during some of his earlier scenes. However, upon Caleb’s arrival, the relationship stuff gets pretty heavy-handed, as John professes his every thought to Ann, both good and bad.
Meanwhile, Pine does a good job playing Caleb, although his character is conniving to a fault, and it definitely takes a toll on the latter half of the film. In my screening, filled with critics (which are usually quiet, in my experience), there were multiple times when we all laughed out loud at some of the corny lines from John and Caleb. It’s tough to say if this is the fault of Modi’s script or the actors’ deliveries, but in any case some of it just plain didn’t work. And since the film is mostly dark and serious in tone, it’s jarring when a line that’s meant to be grave comes out sounding like self-parody. As a result, Z for Zachariah is occasionally too dreary for its own good.
That said, for the most part, the atmosphere here is on-point. Nobel makes great use of the bright New Zealand landscapes where the film was shot, offering a beautiful, almost eerie feel to proceedings. The same can be said of the set decoration and costume design, which are sparse but also really pop amidst the otherwise rural environments. Add to that the performances, which are solid overall, and Z for Zachariah is definitely worth checking out at some juncture.
