Del (Peter Dinklage) is - as far as he can tell - the only survivor of something that has wiped out the entire human race: some event that caused everyone to drop dead at precisely the same moment.
He spends his days cleaning houses: tidying everything up, burying bodies and taking whatever supplies will help him to get by. He spends his nights drinking and re-sorting books in the local library where he used to work.
One day, he comes across another person: a young woman named Grace (Elle Fanning). Uncertain of her identity and not sure whether she can even be trusted (after all, why didn't she die along with everybody else?), he at first imprisons her until he is sure he can trust her (don't worry, she isn't confined for long).
She starts to help him with his cleaning up, and everything seems fine, until two more people show up, introducing themselves to Del as Patrick (Paul Giamatti) and Violet (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and claiming to be Grace's parents.
She certainly recognises them, but doesn't seem as excited to see them as they are to see her.
The most interesting thing about this film has got to be the cinematography. Shot by director Reed Morano, it seems that the entire film has been shot using only natural light. This is of course fine during the day, but at night, it gives the film a very unsettling feel. This isn't bad, it's just how it is. It actually works incredibly well for the film, giving it a much more natural feel. And given that there isn't any electricity any more, it makes perfect sense to shoot it like this.
The script, by Mike Makowsky, is very well written, and filled with so much heart, despite the grim subject matter. The dialogue is sparse, yet filled with nuance and a subtlety that shines through.
Adam Taylor's music is almost non-existent, but totally in a good way. A story like this one doesn't need to be overwhelmed with music, and the sparse score allows for the interactions between Del and Grace to take all the focus, which of course they deserve.
The performances of the cast are superb. It is rare to see a film like this that for the majority of the time features only two characters to work as well as this does. But the talents and abilities of both Dinklage and Fanning are obvious, and the two of them work so well together on screen, it is easy to forget that they are the only people you are seeing for most of the film.
Morano's direction is very light-handed, he mostly allows the actors space to do their thing, while at the same time, crafting and shaping the entire piece to suit what he is trying to say, and the point he is trying to make, which seems to be that family is not so much about the people who are related to you, and more the people you find yourself with in the most difficult times of your life.
I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone who has yet to see it. It is well worth the time to watch, perhaps even multiple times, as I guarantee you will notice more each time you watch it.
A truly beautiful film that should have had a much wider audience than it did.
9 out of 10.
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