The Big Picture

Post-apocalyptic films offer introspective reflections on humanity, focusing on surviving in a desolate world.

Z for Zachariah
explores love, trust, and jealousy among survivors in an isolated valley after a nuclear apocalypse.
The film is slow and contemplative, emphasizing the interpersonal struggles and realistic survival strategies of the characters.

Post-apocalyptic films, despite the global scale of their premise, work best as introspective reflections on humanity, exploring all the strengths and flaws that come with the mortal experience. While many sci-fi stories explore the adventurous aspects of surviving the end of the world, the most compelling stories in this genre are centered around the question of what it truly means to continue living in a world that is desolate, unforgiving, and lonely. Z for Zachariah, a character-driven drama set in the end-of-days, delves headfirst into this question as it explores the lives of three unlikely survivors of a nuclear apocalypse, forced to navigate life within the confines of a miraculous safe haven. The underrated sci-fi picture is one of the most personal post-apocalyptic stories out there, featuring a starkly minimal cast of just three actors — but when that cast includes Margot Robbie, Chris Pine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, there’s still an overabundance of talent in the film. Directed by Craig Zobel, the indie sci-fi thriller still has plenty of post-apocalyptic intrigue, but in a dead world, the most compelling stories are about the scarce few that remain.

‘Z for Zachariah’ Takes a Personal Approach to the Post-Apocalyptic Genre
Image by Lionsgate

Z for Zachariah is set in a dying world rendered uninhabitable by a nuclear apocalypse. However, within an isolated valley in the Southern United States, a young woman named Ann Burden (Robbie) lives a miraculous life shielded from the radiation outside her humble homestead. Surviving thanks to the miraculous microclimate in the valley, Ann and her dog Faro keep a simple and steady life as they plant and harvest in preparation for the impending winter, motivated by the ever dimming hope that her family will return from their expedition outside. But Ann’s loneliness is soon cured when John Loomis (Ejiofor), an engineer and researcher, finds his way into the valley. After Loomis accidentally bathes in irradiated water, Ann swiftly takes him in and nurses him back to health.

Once Loomis regains his strength, he and Ann soon grow closer to one another as they steadily build a life in the valley, supplementing each other’s survival despite the secrets that keep a degree of distance between the pair. John’s engineering background proves to be an immeasurable asset as he begins undertaking projects around the farm, improving the scarce living conditions one solution at a time. But just as a shade of normalcy begins to form for the pair, a stranger arrives in the valley and shakes up the already tenuous balance. Caleb (Pine), a miner who survived the fallout by remaining underground for months, arrives with rumors of a town of survivors further south. While the three must depend on each other for continued survival, tensions and a lack of trust permeate among each person.

Despite being a sci-fi film, Z for Zachariah takes a far more grounded approach than others in the genre. Most of the science in the film is relatively small-scale and realistic, focused on realistic survival strategies, even with the dramatic background of nuclear fallout just outside the valley. Loomis uses his engineering background to manually pull fuel from an abandoned gas station, Ann’s farming knowledge keeps them fed, and Caleb’s hands-on mechanical experience proves a welcome addition. While the fiction part of science-fiction in the film is mostly in the background, the destruction of the nuclear apocalypse still serves as the overarching catalyst for the central conflict: the tension between the survivors.

The Survivors Navigate Love, Trust, and Jealousy During the End of Days

The small-scale perspective of this post-apocalyptic film means that John, Caleb, and Ann won’t be solving the problem of saving the entire world — in fact, in the safe haven of their valley, their immediate survival isn’t even a pressing concern. The valley is one of the most hospitable settings for a film set after nuclear fallout, which allows the central narrative to truly sit with the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Ann serves as the central foundation for the entire film, as it’s her stalwart care of the farm before Caleb and John arrive that provides such a safe haven for them to arrive at. Ann is a kindhearted and steady Southern belle, faithful and optimistic even after suffering immeasurable loss. While Robbie’s Southern accent wavers at times, her performance is measured and endearing, maintaining an irrefutable charm despite the melancholic tone of the story.

In contrast to Ann’s steady faithfulness, Ejiofor’s Loomis is a stoic and troubled figure. Despite his reliable nature and incredibly useful expertise, Loomis carries a haunted past on his shoulders, a burden and distance expertly portrayed by Ejiofor’s performance. Though he doesn’t hold the same religious faith as Ann, he remains respectful of the source of her unwavering conviction. Instead of religion, Loomis relies on his scientific background as the foundation for his continued perseverance, but intellectual knowledge alone proves lacking for sufficient survival. Despite being the most tangibly useful member of the group, Loomis also harbors the most insecurity and guilt about his past — shortcomings that prevent him from truly connecting with Ann and Caleb, making their living situation cold despite the warmth of the valley.

While John and Ann serve as the foundation of the story, Caleb is the wildcard that disrupts whatever shade of stability they are forming. A religious person like Ann, Caleb retains his southern charm and manners, but carries an air of danger around him. For once, Pine’s striking eyes aren’t painted as the charming baby blues of a romantic lead, but like the ice-cold stare of a wolf, indicating a strong defiance and confidence. While John and Ann’s relationship concerns issues about trust and affection, Caleb and John enter a Cold War over their third companion’s attention. It’s a cold and passive-aggressive war, one that cannot be fought outright, but remains a nagging tension throughout all their interactions.

At first, the quietly brewing love triangle between Ann, Caleb, and John may feel out of place, considering the more pressing concern about survival in such an inhospitable environment. However, its inclusion in the film instead makes these characters feel all the more human; it makes their unexpected coexistence in the valley feel like the random shuffle of existence, rather than an intentionally written narrative. There is something viscerally human about John’s jealousy over Caleb. Despite his mechanical expertise and knowledge, his inner emotional turmoil ultimately supercedes his own rational thinking. Caleb, on the other hand, is painted in a more intentionally antagonistic lens, lording arrogantly over the other man at any given opportunity. However, they are forced to remain cordial, forced to work with one another, and forced to believe that everything will be okay.

In the center of it all is Ann, whose guarded optimism about the world serves as the beacon of hope in Z for Zachariah. Though her companions often underestimate her because of her youth, Ann is equally as complex a character as her male counterparts. While she remains optimistic and hopeful, she demonstrates an understanding of the reality of the situation. Although her hope for the future is often misinterpreted, she is not naive. However, she is still flawed. Similarly to the other two characters, Ann’s approach to processing complex emotions suffered from her time in isolation, making her susceptible to emotionally charged and unsteady decisions. So even when they’re all trying their best, the small contingent of survivors still have to contend with their internal turmoil, just as much as they have to deal with the harsh external world.

The Film Is Slow and Contemplative With its Characters
Image via Lionsgate

Audiences shouldn’t watch Z for Zachariah with expectations of an adrenaline-pumping sci-fi thriller, despite the genre it falls under. The film is slow, contemplative, and brutally realistic about the interpersonal struggle between flawed people; John’s jealousy, Ann’s uncertainty, and Caleb’s arrogance all seep into every minute action that they have. While it’s not the central focus of the movie, questions about race, science, and religion all permeate throughout the narrative. Even after society has collapsed, the characters are unable to completely separate from the world they once knew, forcing them to contend with the remnants of their old lives as they endeavor to build a new one.

There is an overarching tone of sadness and melancholy that permeates throughout the entire film. It truly feels like these characters are the last survivors of the end of the world — there’s no hope of rescue, and maybe no reason at all to even continue living. Even within the safe haven they were seemingly blessed with, the characters in Z for Zachariah live with uncertainty in every breath, questioning what it means to live, alone, in a dead world.

Z for Zachariah is currently available to buy or rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO