Zombie movies are a staple of horror.
We’ve seen hundreds of entries since “Night of the Living Dead” started the genre. I loved that film but tend to avoid other iterations of zombies. I even (gasp!) disliked “The Walking Dead.”
But the film I just watched became a new favorite.
“The Night Eats the World” is a French film directed by Dominique Rocher and written by Jérémie Guez, Guillaume Lemans, and Rocher. Its based off a novel by Pit Agarman, and I think the French title, “La nuit a dévoré le monde” sounds cooler.
It premiered at the 2018 Angers Film Festival and was released to theaters shortly thereafter.
We know 2018 was the middle of the modern arthouse renaissance for horror. “The Night Eats the World” is shot in a stylistic fashion, with cold tones and a single character trying to survive a zombie takeover of Paris.
Zombie Apocalypse, Arthouse Style
I loved the opening scene.
Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) is picking up tapes his ex-girlfriend inadvertently took when she moved out. With minimal exposition, we can decipher a few things. Sam is an introvert. The ex-girlfriend is the one who ended things. And Sam is the loser in the breakup.
The next day, Sam wakes up to find carnage in the apartment building and outside. Dead bodies. Blood everywhere. And a garrison of zombies lurking the streets.
A One-Man Show
Unlike traditional zombie films, “The Night Eats the World” doesn’t offer information about how or why the zombies came to be. And there are no rules presented. The viewer just accepts it, the same way Sam is forced to.
Anders Danielsen Lie is the character we follow for most of the film. I had not watched the Norwegian actor in anything else and was captivated by the performance.
It’s difficult to convey emotions or thoughts without a scene partner. Anders Danielsen Lie manages to do exactly that in spades. It’s an impossible situation, and he’s alone. Denis Lavant and Golshifteh Farahani lend support, but I won’t reveal how.
We watch as Sam takes precautions, scopes out the building across the street, and collects rations from other apartments, all while avoiding certain death. One tense moment sees the character contemplating ending things, and it’s handled to perfection.
His biography is intriguing too. Aside from acting, Anders Danielsen Lie is a musician and a physician. The former leads to some excellent moments in the movie where Sam is getting his frustrations out via drums he discovers. He’s released two studio albums, and if that’s not enough, is a medical doctor in Oslo, balancing his practice with starring in movies.
I’m officially a fanboy.
Stylized Story
As mentioned, “The Night Eats the World” handles the zombies in a unique way. They are silent, just sprinting towards anyone they see in a terrifying way.
The film is a study of survival. The zombies could be aliens, an advancing army, or polar bears. We’re watching Sam as he finds a way to live. He collects rainwater, exercises, and—in one highly tense scene—attempts to lure a stray cat into his barricaded apartment building.
It’s a 93-minute film that never lags. It’s got blood, gore, and violence but nothing excessive. It has scares, but nothing cheap. I’m excited to watch it again.
