"Jimbo is 13. All he can think about is one girl, Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way - bullies, violence, chaos, zombies - nothing is going to stop him from finding a way into her world."
I saw this short a few weeks ago when it was posted on /Film and I gotta say: I was very impressed. There have been a lot of zombie films in the past few years but none have really had the effect on me that this 11 minute short had. I Love Sarah Jane is a different kind of zombie film. Taking place after what appears to be a zombie apocalypse, a group of kids hang around a house, watch the news, and torture a zombie that is chained up in the backyard. To our main character Jimbo, none of this matters. All he has left is Sarah Jane, an older girl who has never really had anything to do with him.
To me, this is a prime example of what can be done with a zombie film. Like George A. Romero was able to do with his original "Dead Trilogy," this short offers some nice social commentary on human behavior and what could be an accurate portrayal of how teens and the general youth would act after being abandoned in something as destructive as a zombie invasion. As one review stated, it's like the film Gummo but instead of a town being devastated by a tornado and the kids torturing cats, it's a zombie apocalypse and they're torturing a zombie.
Along with some interesting social commentary, director Susser creates a really different and touching love story between the characters of Jimbo and Sarah Jane. I won't give anything away but I could definitely identify with Jimbo and his unwanted initial approach in the house at the beginning. The scene where he and Sarah discuss fishing is wonderful and really moved me.
And how about that ending? That was really classic and very satisfying stuff. The look on Jimbo's face in the final shot is just priceless. Good job, Susser. I like it.
Overall, this is a short film you should all really check out. It's the most unique, original, and moving zombie film that I've seen in quite a while. And it's only a little over 11 minutes long. That's really my only complaint with this short- it's a short. I was dying for more by the time it came to an end. I'd totally be up for this being turned into a feature film in the future. I'm definitely going to be looking forward to what Susser has to offer in the future as well.
You can check out the film on here on YouTube (complete with random Spanish subtitles for some reason...), here on /Film (subtitle free), or you can download it on iTunes for $1.99, which is what I'm about to do myself. Please give this film a watch. However, please note that it is NSFW with some zombie violence and very bad language. Hope you all enjoy. I sure did.
5 comments:
An 11 minute short about a zombie invasion/love story? I can't even begin to imagine how that would work...
well, then how about you watch it then and give it a chance. it's linked at the end of my article.
Just watched this, and I really liked it. Didn't know what to think when they were first torturing zombie, and then learning the relationship the zombie has with the kids made the torture even more gruesome. I liked that this took place after the initial zombie waves, and how the kids deal with it. Nice post!
thanks. i try.
Good stuff. Enjoyed it in a weird sort of way. Keep enlightening me YDKS.
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