FORGIVE US ALL 

New Zealand, 2025, 93 minutes, Colour.

Lily Sullivan, Callan Mulvey, Richard Roxburgh, Lance Giles, Bree Peters.

Directed by Jordanna Stott.

The title has a very grim tone, indicating sins that need to be forgiven.

This is a New Zealand film with some quite magnificent scenery from the South Island. It is a first effort by the by the director and actor, Lance Giles. It was crowd funded.

The beginning has a drama, a family, husband and wife, daughter, father-in-law, and a sad death. It looks to be a story of survival.

Then comes the zombie theme, the post-apocalyptic world infected, cannibalistic zombies. The main drama concerns two men who have escaped the camp, have some kind of cure, on a mission – and being pursued by the relentless guards.

The main part of the drama consists of a journey to the outpost, the mission of help, the widow accompanying one of those fleeing but the continued pursuit, the howling of the zombies, the final arriving at the mission destination – but some grim aspects of the drama.

(The film was not well reviewed and if one looks at the blogging comments on the IMDb, they tend to be quite merciless on the film and the filmmakers, a lot of trotting rather than reviewing.)

1. The title, the grim tone? For what sins?
2. The resemblance to the Western genre? A New Zealand film? South Island mountainous locations? The remote homes, the countryside, the dark forest? The musical score?
3. The virus, the plague, the infections, the living dead? The visualising of the living dead, the attacks, screeching and howling, attacking the dead and devouring them?
4. The opening, measured, the measured pace of the film rather than rapid action? The introduction to Rory, isolated, her daughter, infected and attacking? The passing of four years?
5. Rory, her relationship with Otto, her dead husband, helping the infected, infected himself, the attack, his daughter, her death? Surviving, isolated? Otto, isolated, strong-minded, work?
6. The situation, futuristic, in the house, the surveillance equipment? Electricity? The story of the prison, the population confined in the camps? Two brothers, Runners, the officials from the prison, the pursuits? The brother escaping wounded? The other brother, using his hat as bait, confronted, taunted by Logan? Killed?
7. Rory, at the river, finding Noah, his injuries, her suspicions? Putting him on the horse, bringing him to the stable? The story of his son, going to the encampment, stealing the medication? His desperation, his injuries?
8. The tension between Otto and Rory, the family relationship? Her looking after Noah? Otto and the discovery? Suspicions? The story?
9. Logan, his assistants, their ideology, cruelty? The confrontation with Otto, his defying them, Rory and Noah on the horse, the escape, the shootout, Otto’s death?
10. The pursuit through the forest, Logan and the fight with Noah, no less determination, Logan’s cruelty, his death?
11. The living dead, emerging in the night, the forest, confronting Rory, her desperation? Her standing still and defying the living dead? Noah and Rory having the scent on them which repelled the living dead? Her escape?
12. Daylight, seeing the house, her own condition, going to the house, the grandmother at the door, suspicious, Rory standing back, leaving the bag with the medication, the grandmother taking it inside?
13. The end, Rory at the river, with the gun, previous thoughts of suicide, no motivation for living? The experience with the infected? Would she kill herself or make the decision to live?