By Dakota Cantwell

Combing through the sea of indie zombie films often produces a myriad of gorefest, action films with countless battles of unending zombies. “Here Alone” stands out in the crowd by bringing a zombie film that is calm, slow moving and focuses on the people of the apocalypse and not just what they have to do.

“Here alone” is the story of Ann who is living only to survive the zombie apocalypse in the wooded upstate New York after the loss of her husband and child. She lives a simple life focused on gathering supplies from abandoned houses and keeping up the campsites she set up with her husband before. Her whole life will be turned around after she meets Chris and Olivia, two people who are trying to make their way north in search of a safer life.

“Here Alone” has relatively little plot to speak of beyond people surviving just to survive. What it lacks in plot, however, it makes up for with character development as Chris helps Ann remember what it means to be human after doing unspeakable things.

Lucy Walters stars in this 2016 film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Walters portrayal of Ann is more than enough to carry the weight of this slow moving post apocalyptic film. Backing Walters up in this movie is Adam David Thompson (“Godless”) who plays Chris and Shane West (“Salem”) who plays her late husband, Jason. Together, the characters build this film into what it is.

Director Rod Blackhurst makes excellent use of the bleak, cold scenery and uses it to help convey the overall sad mood of the film. While not being his first directorial experience, Blackhurst does well to show what he is capable of with a full feature film.

The zombies in this film aren’t seen very often, choosing instead to focus on the characters lives outside of zombie battles. When they are on screen, however, the zombies produce a terrifying experience as the practical effects and quick cuts really bring to life the terrifying experience of a zombie attack.

“Here Alone” makes a good show for what indie post apocalyptic films are capable of by combining slow pacing with well developed characters. The result is a genuinely good watching experience with a zombie apocalypse film that focuses on what happens after the characters survive.