Since we’re in the month of October (one of my favorite months), it only seemed natural to share shorts that explore darker themes. So now I give you the post-apocalyptic The End.

Synopsis

The last man left alive struggles to find redemption for the part he played bringing the world to an end.

Review

The one thing that stood out for me about The End was the sound. In many cases sound is often overlooked in small or independent productions and in my opinion makes a film suffer. The End‘s sound mix was most definitely not overlooked and it’s a better film for it.

It’s also not lacking on story either. We see the main protagonist, indeed the only character in the film, struggling as an old man to get through a devastated wasteland. A wasteland that he himself helped create, as told through a series of flashbacks to his younger days. I won’t give away all of the subtle hints as to how this particular apocalypse happens in case you didn’t watch it.

Shooting in Super 16mm then doing the conversion to HD gave it an instant film look, something digital filmmakers strive for with software and plugins. Rowan Strang got it right out of the box, so to speak. It’s also dark. It’s meant to be dark too, given the subject matter.

What did you think of The End? Leave a comment below.

Information

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Release Year: 2011
Runtime: 12 mins.
Director: Rowan Strang
Production Company: Strang Entertainment / New Zealand Broadcasting School
Cast: Michael Elsworth with John Ashton, Nathan Munn, Brian Sullivan, Don Donner, Richard Deraine and William Ross
YouTube Channel: strangentertainment
Director’s Website: Strang Entertainment

Technical

Camera: Aaton s16 (16mm)
Lenses: —
Edited with: —
Output: —