Sick: Survive The Night – 2015
The zombie flick is a recurring favorite to we Fellow Fans; from Romero’s experiment back in ’68 to the modern marvel that is The Walking Dead, flesh-eating reanimates have become the most widespread favorite amongst the monsters of our shared nightmare obsession, especially in the last ten years or so. I’ve always felt the beauty of the concept of the dead rising to eat the living is that it serves as a perfectly distorted mirror with which to reflect upon the darkness which is human nature. Starting with Night of the Living Dead, a large slice of the zombie pie has always been engaging we the viewers in some social commentary, be it satirical or serious. This trend continues even today with that popular aforementioned cable series that some of you may have heard of…
Into this fray comes the indie zombie flick Sick: Survive The Night, directed and co-written by Ryan M. Andrews.
A strange, rampant virus has struck; quickly, it’s become a worldwide pandemic. The infected become mindless, preternaturally strong…and extremely violent, indiscriminately attacking and eating those that are not infected. As panic begins to grip the planet, the world’s governments gather their brightest medical and scientific resources in a desperate bid to find a means to halt and hopefully cure the affliction. Dr. Leigh Rozetta is one such viral expert, and we’re with her as she departs her family home, escorted by military personnel to a secret, secure facility to work on saving the world.
Jennifer Polansky
Two years pass, and on the surface the few uninfected people gather themselves into groups; scavenging tribes who forage for food, medicine, ammunition…their enemies both the now overwhelming numbers of the infected…and some opportunists that are not infected, but just as merciless in their methods. One such group of desperate survivors is seeking supplies when all but two of their number are wiped out…and these two men run across Dr. Rozetta, who has left the military bunker to pay a visit to her home and family; as these two hardened survivalists travel with the scientist to her family home, what secrets will they discover? Does she hold the answer to the cure, or something more sinister? Will they survive the night…and each other?
The zombie film, for as much as we all enjoy them (myself certainly included), is moving toward a sad redundancy…let’s face it; it’s difficult to come up with different ways to deal with the same concept. While not re-inventing the genre, Sick does offer some innovation; it’s story much more character-centric, the zombies becoming so much of a background element as to have very little screen-time, comparably. Andrews’ direction of the tale is very skillful, making the most of a limited budget and shooting schedule, resulting in a movie that looks far more polished with higher production value that it had any right to.
Robert Nolan
Admittedly, I felt that at times the script tried to work in too many concepts and twists, and a time or two might have tripped over it’s own laces a bit, but it was never enough to push me out of the flick. Much of this is owed to the acting as well as the direction; the ensemble cast each did well with what they had. Granted, some of the second-tier performances tottered on the brink, but these times were few and far between. The leads all acquitted themselves very well; Christina Aceto was convincing as Rozetta, showing a range from a strong-willed scientist to a frightened, homesick girl. Jennifer Polansky played the part of a rescued survivor with a haunted past with realism and emotion. Richard Roy Sutton as the dry and distant Seph carried a bit of Owen Wilson in his performance, but still maintained an edgy feel, downright vicious at times. Robert Nolan was his usual excellence, moving from introspective and level-headed to terrified and emotional with experienced grace. Finally, genre favorite Debbie Rochon, in a series of cameos as another scientist communicating via webcam, threatens to steal the show.
Debbie Rochon
As far as the subgenre is concerned, you’ll not find a lot in Sick story-wise that you haven’t seen before, but there is enough of a new angle in the storytelling to make it stand out from the typical indie zombie fare. The astute direction and acting raise it several notches, and if you’re one o’ those that loves the ol’ gut-munchers, you just might find some good stuff in this one to sink your teeth into. (Yeah, fine…that was bad.)
That’s my two cents, folks.
–Mouse
Andrew Thompson
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