I Think We're Alone Now (2018) - October 23rd, 2018

[Splatterpunk]

I don't think there's a thread for this film, yet, and I liked it quite a bit.

Director Reed Morano, perhaps best known for executive producing and directing the first three episodes of Hulu’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, crafted a small and interesting film last year that flew under most folks’ radar. I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW is a sort of indy arthouse post-apocalyptic character piece. Starring Peter Dinklage and Elle Fanning, with small supporting roles for Paul Giamatti and Charlotte Gainsbourg, it flips the genre on its head by eschewing the normal action or horror aesthetics, opting for quiet atmospheric intimacy.

Del (a gruff and introverted Dinklage) is seemingly the last man on Earth. Although it’s unimportant to the plot or the interests of the filmmakers, some unnamed plague has wiped everyone out in the recent past. Del spends his days scavenging for batteries while meticulously cleaning the small town where he lives. He removes desiccated bodies from their former homes, returns library books, and does yard work. He seems to have embraced the solitude, dispassionately going about his satisfying daily routines. His idyll is eventually interrupted by the surprising arrival of another survivor. Grace (Fanning, wounded but effusive) injects some free spirited anarchy into Del’s fastidious existence. Del is circumspect, but eventually the odd couple come to a certain understanding. Grace has a secret, though, and its revelation could ruin their fragile companionship.

Mike Makowsky’s script is not interested in the usual elements of the post-apocalyptic film. There’s not really any action and the conflict is mostly of a highly mundane nature. What it is interested in is building realistic portraits of two people who would, under normal circumstances, never interact but who are brought together by the end of the world. Morano and her two excellent performers, key in on this element. Vignettes of activity are presented that are really only punctuated with dialog. The audience is asked to infer quite a bit, as this is a fairly quiet and introspective effort. As such, the moody and melancholy score by Adam Taylor, the intermittently boisterous soundtrack, and especially the well-crafted sound design capably do some heavy lifting, adding color to the film’s drab palette. Speaking of visuals, the proceedings may be subdued, but Morano, acting as her own DP, still provides some beautiful and interesting naturally lit imagery. Overall, this is an engrossing study of two characters. The third act features a left turn into broad satire that tonally clashes with the previous intense focus on performances, but it does serve to shake up a fairly staid narrative.

Minimal and deliberately paced, Reed Morano’s I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW won’t work for everyone. I’m a sucker for all stripes of post-apocalyptic films, though, and this one is decidedly different from most. Quietly emotional and focused on the engaging performances of its two leads, I greatly enjoyed the flick even if the final act almost seems like it’s from a different movie. Recommended for fans of THE QUIET EARTH, MOON, and EX MACHINA.