I remember hearing a lot about The Battery when it first came out in 2012. Zombie fever was at an all time (obnoxious) high. Zombies had hit the mainstream in a big way, and movie after movie after movie was coming out with very little new or exciting to offer. The Battery works so well because it's a decidedly different take on the zombie apocalypse - it's much more of a character-driven film. There isn't much by way of gut-munching or head splodin' action. Instead, you get an up close and personal look at two people who are dealing with the loneliness and isolation that comes from being two of the last people on earth. The Battery is more concerned with the tension that comes from that mental strain, rather than your typical "we're trapped and zombies are everywhere!" scenario. And because of that, it's much more relatable, and to me, more realistic - everyone has felt alone or hopeless at sometime, right?
Ben (writer-director Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim) are two survivors of an unseen (and mostly undiscussed) zombie apocalypse. You never really figure out just what happened, but you know that these two are amongst the very last non-infected people on the planet. Their plan is to keep moving through the countryside - they figure they are less likely to get attacked if they stay on the move. Ben takes a more proactive approach, playing the alpha of the pair - he's a survivalist type who seems to enjoy foraging for food/supplies and smashing skulls in. Mickey is the more sensitive of the two, and is having trouble adjusting to this new world - he mostly just further isolates himself by listening to his discman and sulking.
I think my favorite zombie movies have always used zombies as conduit for social commentary (i.e. brain-dead consumers in Romero's Dawn of the Dead). Here though, it's the humans that do the heavy thematic lifting. Through the characters of Ben and Mickey - watching them struggle and learning what they miss from the pre-zombie world - you begin to question "just what does make us human?" Our powerful will to survive? Our social connections to each other? Things like Art and Sports?
So honestly, The Battery doesn't even really *need* the zombies to work. (Which is probably the source of a lot of the one-star reviews.) Any sort of all-encompassing outworld threat would probably have done the trick. But it's a testament to just how well done it is - the story comes first, and it doesn't rely on any gimmickry to make it work. That's not to say it's not a violent film. It never goes over-the-top (and probably couldn't because of budget considerations), but it gets bloody enough to be disturbing at times.
The world Ben and Mickey travel through is a little less desolate than some other zombie films - they are still able to get into houses, find supplies, and enjoy themselves from time to time. But of course, they also get sick of each other. The undead here are pretty low-key as far as zombies go. They seem mostly weak and not smart at all - Mickey even questions why Ben has to keep killing them. If you are in a house/car whatever, they can't get in. But obviously you can't just wait in there forever. Zombies here are more like a looming threat in the outside world... and I guess that could be interpreted in any number of ways.
One of the biggest surprises to me was how "artsy" of a film The Battery is. There are lots of shots/scenes of Ben and Mickey just taking their time, going about their daily routine, goofing off, or just sitting there talking. You get a couple of long scenes with a kind of desolate/rootsy musical accompaniment. It helps create an excellent vibe - the film doesn't feel relaxing in any way, but kind of rustic and pretty. But the the potential for doom and gloom is always there. I'd always heard about the low budget too (between $6,000 & $7,000). It's not one of those indie films that is emulating the look of a blockbuster, and it just wouldn't work as well if it was a polished-looking film.
The Battery is just solid. It's not what I'd call fun, but it's thought-provoking, has a great tone, and just works like gangbusters. It's the kind of movie that I liked quite a bit right after I watched it, and it's stuck around in my head and gotten better the more I've been thinking/writing about it. (Which incidentally is a selfish reason behind writing this blog - it kind of makes me crystalize my thoughts, you know?)
Plus, anything that makes you think of Master of Puppets era Metallica can't be bad, right?
I would highly recommend this film.
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