An indie film made possible by Kickstarter, Chrysalis (2014) is yet another post apocalyptic zombie flick (zombie, undead, infection, they’re all zombie flicks in my book), but it relies heavily on emotion and is far from heavy handed with the gore.
Directed by John Klein, Chrysalis follows Joshua and Penelope as they wander the wreckage of 2038, long after an outbreak of infection that turns its victims into cannibalistic monsters. They scavenge for food and unlikely survivors in the rubble of factories and churches (beautifully shot, I might add) and fend off the monsters as they filter into their safe zone. This apparent wasteland has existed long enough that the couple don’t know their birthdays, Penelope doesn’t know her last name, and she never learned to read. Society has crumbled.
Penelope keeps falling pregnant and miscarrying the children, much to her dismay. Joshua fears for her health and Penelope worries Joshua will leave her. The pair come across another survivor who joins them and urges them further into the city they’ve been living on the outskirts of. As the trio move forward, they are plagued by more and more infected, and questions arise about why the sudden increase. What could be causing the monsters to track them now?
Chrysalis is a slow boil of a film. It doesn’t pound out the action like one might suspect of a ‘zombie’ film, but it leans much of its weight on character development. It’s low budget, and at times, it truly looks it, especially when we are faced with any type of blood and gore, but it isn’t without it’s worthwhile emotional moments. The shots of old, crumbling architecture, warehouses, churches and factories are truly lovely, and there is an aura of stillness and loss that permeates throughout.
The acting is surprisingly decent, with the exception of Sara Gorsky as Penelope. Perhaps it was the way her character was written, but she comes across painfully whiny at times, and so brutally helpless that the Walking Dead fan in me was ready to tell her…..just look at the flowers, Pen. Just look at the flowers. Her delivery is wooden and staccato and feels insincere, despite the pitiful look she carries on her face throughout the film. Cole Simon as Josh and Tanya Thai Mcbride as Abria are capable and sell their characters well.
Chrysalis is a film that banks on characters, mood and story, and in that, it offers us something that is often overlooked in a film of it’s type. That being said, perhaps it is this attention to themes, symbolism and all that lovely literary fluff that allows some details to go a little awry. In a post apocalyptic world plagued by the essential undead, where everyone seems to have his or her own signature killing weapon, how are these girls still so afraid of the ‘walkers’ as it were? The hysteria gets a little unlikely at times. Penelope seems, right from the start, like the type of girl who couldn’t survive the walk to her car in a dark parking lot, let alone someone who could defy the odds and live on the run, as she’s done. And the ability to find canned food and operate flashlights 20 years after normal life has ceased seems a bit far fetched. And lastly, and might I add, SPOILER ALERT, why would infected be ATTRACTED to the scent of another infected? Seems like eau du living might be more appetizing to the ghouls in question.
Chrysalis isn’t unworthy of your time, just go into it knowing it is a low budget film, and it’s far bigger on drama then it is on scare. That certainly doesn’t mean it’s a flop, but it is unlikely to scare the pants off of you when it feels more like a date night film then a Halloween affair.
Life Lessons:
1. LEARN TO READ AND DO IT OFTEN. This is an important lesson, and I don’t need cinema to tell me so.
2. Save your flashlights, apparently they last FOREVER.
3. If dogs are barking somewhere, you may want to run.
4. Don’t waste your freaking matches on cigarettes. That being said, don’t smoke, dumbass.
5. So, maybe you’ve found the love of your life in the apocalypse. Maybe you feel like the only two people left on earth. Maybe you are. MAYBE you can still do better.
The Dark and Stormy Night 