Opening on Thursday: Endzeit

It should come to no surprise that zombie films are a form of sociopolitical commentary. George A. Romero made that clear with his genre masterpieces. In her second cinematic release, "Endzeit" ("Ever After"), Carolina Hellsgård gives this classic sub-genre a new feminist perspective. It takes place in zombie infested Germany. Having been surrounded by fences, Weimar and Jena are supposedly the two last places in germany with human life. Between the two places, in no man's land, two young women, played by Gro Swantje Kohlhof and Maja Lehrer, are fighting for survival. However, on this journey, they are faced with the demons from their past, as well as a mysterious half woman, half plant hybrid being. As well as fulfilling the expectations of the fans of the genre, Hellsgårds atmospheric horrorthriller effectively questions todays society and human nature through use of symbolism and subtle questions of guilt. What's more, not only are the two leading roles portrayed by women, but the directing, writing, producing, filming, scoring, editing and production design was all done by women, which marks it as the first film, within the genre, to do this.