While in the midst of a viral outbreak, a young woman named Ann (Lucy Walters) is left to survive in the woods alone after the death of her husband (Shane West) and infant child. Struggling to stay alive, Ann crosses paths with a stepfather and daughter (Adam David Thomas and Gina Piersanti) in need of help and supplies. Directed by Rod Blackhurst, HERE ALONEtouches on the subjects of grief, solitude, and the difficult decisions one has to make in the thralls of survivalism.

I will be the first to admit that zombie-oriented films are not generally my forte, but I am very drawn to plots that surround survivalist elements. HERE ALONE envelops you into that world, and the steps that have to be taken in order to stay alive. Through it’s slow paced, yet steady progression, this film focuses more on interactions and the decision-making process of an epidemic environment. Each character has their own unique struggles, yet share similar tragedies. We as the audience are taken through each character’s history through present events and flashback scenarios, molding their experiences from the turmoil’s they’ve endured.

A very striking element of this feature would be the performances – each actor captures the essence of their roles nicely. Everyone felt very raw and natural, adding a great sense of realism in regards to the story. Not a single role felt distracting or out of place, which provided HERE ALONE with true emotions being brought to the screen.

HERE ALONE gives you an ultimate sense of withdrawal, with the questioning of one’s self and choices at hand. Being more journey-oriented than action-based, this film produces great performances by each actor and takes a deeper look into a more realistic approach towards an apocalyptic scenario. I feel it has a good balance of gore and drama, with the plot taking the lead as the main focus. Who the characters are and their primal instincts in correlation to their civilized nature presents itself as being dominant, not needing to rely on scenes heavy with zombies or violence.

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Abigail Braman

Abigail is a macabre and horror artist, primarily working in oil paints and found objects, and does freelance writing for both Nightmarish Conjurings and Pophorror. She loves all-things horror, animation, and art history, and is currently working on her first dark stop-motion animated horror short film, Cadillac Dust. Abigail is also very passionate about music, having used to play the banjo, guitar, and sing in a band called The Killer Pines. When she's not either painting, writing, working, or watching movies while doing all of these things, she's probably sleeping, or cuddling with Claude the cat (or both).

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Latest posts by Abigail Braman (see all)

• Tribeca Film Festival Review: AAMIS (2019) - April 26, 2019
• Women In Horror Interview: Actress Suzanne Voss - March 25, 2019
• Women In Horror Interview: Director/Production Designer Laura Moss - February 28, 2019