Dystopian future movies seem to be everywhere lately (is that a message for us?), but not every attempt at this genre is successful, and debut writer-director R.T. Thorne’s film falls into that category. The movie begins with an interesting idea that shows promise, yet it unfortunately loses its way as the story progresses, wandering aimlessly, repeating itself, and awkwardly attempting to blend shifts in tone and direction that don't quite fit together. In a world devastated by a lethal fungal outbreak, civil unrest, and starvation, what’s left of humanity struggles to survive; farmland has become incredibly valuable now. But protecting this resource is difficult because of roving gangs who want to steal it from the people who own it. This is the situation for the Freemans, an African-American family descended from Civil War survivors who moved north to Canada and established a farm that's been in their family for generations. Now they have to fight to keep it, matching the cunning of those trying to take it from them. Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and Galen (Michael Greyeyes), the parents, are leading these efforts, along with their four children. They’ve taught their kids to be careful and disciplined, which has helped maintain the farm's productivity and safety. However, with a growing threat outside, they need to be even more watchful, especially considering how independent and unreliable their oldest son, Manny (Kataem O’Connor), is becoming. As he grows up, Manny increasingly wants to forge his own path, one that often distracts him from what the family needs. And as things get worse, the Freemans find themselves in greater danger. However, showing this danger becomes repetitive and excessively graphic after a while. The story also starts to diverge from its initial setup with the introduction of an unbelievable plot about cannibalism involving characters who seem more like zombies than typical flesh-eaters, who generally at least cook their food first. I’ve encountered very poor sound quality in this film; the dialogue is often unclear and hard to understand (a frustrating problem in many movies these days). On a positive note, the movie has beautiful cinematography, an unusual soundtrack and score, several interesting (though underdeveloped) themes, and generally solid performances from the cast, despite the lack of a stronger script. Ultimately, it’s disappointing that the final product doesn't live up to the story's potential; it feels like a poorly planned combination of “Mad Max,” “Rambo,” and “Walking Dead.” Some revisions could have improved things, but as is, those involved in this project might be said to have lost everything.

Source on TMDB