Preview Movie Review

Z for Zachariah
PG-13
Entertainment: +3
Acceptability: +2

Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine. Drama/thriller. Directed by Craig Zobel.

FILM SYNOPSIS: In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman (Margot Robbie) survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor), he's nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile, imperative strand of trust connects them. But when a stranger (Chris Pine) enters the valley, their precarious bond begins to unravel.

Z for Zachariah is inspired by the novel of the same name by Robert C. O'Brien, published posthumously in 1974.

PREVIEW REVIEW: With its thoughtful dialogue and meaningfully performances, this intimate, post-apocalyptic two-person character study (the third person is basically a tool to further the story and the lesson) is suspenseful and completely involving. What’s more, it does not ridicule faith, or people of faith. Though a woman’s religious values are used by others to manipulate her, still she holds true to them and leaves audiences with the truism that we are more than physical and mental beings.

One of the most perceptive moments concerns the church the female protagonist’s father had built years before. It symbolizes many things for her. But the scientist needs the wood from the building to construct a water mill for electricity.

Z For Zachariah deals with human passions that include jealousy and lust, and there is brief backside nudity, but nothing is included merely to be exploitive. Even the one brief, erotic sexual situation is included to further this parable that symbolically addresses faith vs. science or in this case, church vs. electricity.

Note to Teens: If it looks like I’m recommending a film to you that contains nudity or sexual situations, you know your parents aren’t going to be pleased with me. So, how do I handle a film that has positives, but also contains material that bombards in most other Hollywood productions? Occasionally a film can be so profound that its message dwarfs the objectionable material. But that doesn’t happen that often, now does it? Honor God, honor your parents. It will pay off long after the memory of a movie and its parable fades.

May God bless you, my young brothers and sisters.

Beginning in September, for future reviews by Phil Boatwright, go to .

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Lionsgate

Summary
Crude Language: None
Obscene Language: I caught a couple of obscenities, including the f-word and the s-word, but no misuse of God’s name.
Profanity: None
Violence: Fearful of strangers, there is an element of fear surrounding the proceedings, but despite the arrival of a mysterious man, the danger is only hinted at.
Sexual Intercourse: One sexual situation; it is a brief but erotic scene.
Nudity: Backside nudity as people attempt to wash off radioactive material they were subjected to.
Homosexual Conduct: None
Sexually Suggestive Action/Dialog: None
Drug Abuse: First a man gets drunk, as he deals with his frustrations, later the woman also gets drunk; but it becomes obvious that this is not a reoccurring element to their lives.
Other: None
Running Time: 98 minutes
Intended Audience: Older teens and up