Although I would have liked some more explanation in terms of how the world of the film came to be the way it was, it has to be understood that the film clearly intends to be about more than post-apocalyptic action and is more about the relationship between Natalie and Sarah. Their relationship isn’t painted as perfect and isn’t idealised – they argue, and it makes them believable characters. Their bond is still special and provides good motivation for them to stay alive even when there’s no hope left, and also shows the ugly side of them (Natalie in particular) as they do what is necessary to find each other. By the end, their desperation to find each other again becomes even more clear and more intense. This is all made even better by the great acting talent involved with the film, which I wasn’t expecting when I started watching the film.
The locations are also incredible, especially for an independent film of this genre. Finding good, quiet places for a film where there aren’t many people around must have been difficult, but it paid off. The only main problem I had overall was the bounty hunter character, who didn’t really have much of a character at all. It was difficult to figure out what his deal was and was a bit too mysterious to the point of him just existing to provide an antagonist.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It felt unique despite the post-apocalyptic genre being done so much, and the protagonists were easy to connect with and interesting. The ending also wraps things up nicely, I just would have liked a bit more explanation in relation to how the world became the way it did; however, this ultimately isn’t the focus of the film and is more about the characters, which is something that should be celebrated about it.