Film & TV

French Film Festival Review: The Night Eats the World

Based on the novel by Pit Agarmen, The Night Eats The World follows Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie), seemingly the only survivor in a zombie-infested Paris who has barricaded himself inside his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. Sam is safe inside the fortified apartment from the flesh-eating monsters outside, so instead of providing the heart-stopping thrills we have come to expect from this genre, The Night Eats The World opts for being a slow-moving and quiet character piece steeped in melancholia as the end of the world proves to be more tedious and lonely than terrifying.

At first, he keeps himself occupied with searching for supplies in the neighbouring apartments and collecting rainwater, but soon the boredom and the loneliness of being trapped within his empty fortress begins to take its toll.

The Night Eats The World isn’t exactly breaking any new ground. We have seen resourceful loners suffering in isolation and unable to cope with the loneliness before, most notably in Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. Luckily The Night Eats The World remains engrossing despite its familiarity thanks to a solid lead performance by Anders Danielsen Lie. Anders is an immensely likeable screen presence and is easy to root for, despite the minimal dialogue he is given.

And whilst the melancholic score by David Gubitsch is great, the moments of silence brilliantly hit home Sam’s isolation. The zombies are also visually striking with great make-up and gore effects.

The Night Eats The World is a melancholic take on the zombie apocalypse genre and is a superb directorial debut from Dominique Rocher.

Reviewed by Jordan Ellis

The Night Eats The World is currently screening as part of the Alliance Française French Film Festival at Palace Nova Eastend and Prospect.

Check out screening times here.

A melancholic take on the zombie genre 4 stars

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