Endzeit (called Ever After as the international English title) (2018) is a near-future zombie drama placed in Germany in the aftermath of a virus epidemic which infected the whole world but two cities. Humanity has come to its apparent end and nature is reclaiming its terrain. In one of those cities, Vivi, vulnerable and numb as a result of the apocalypse- triggered tragedies, reluctantly volunteers at the city’s perimeter. It is at the ramshackle outer fences, requiring constant defense from attacks by infectious cannibal revenants, that she meets Eva, whose icy stoicism makes a striking contrast to Vivi’s delicate fragility. Following an attack at their post, they board an automated supply train bound for Jena, whose more humane approach to the victims of the epidemic offers some hope for the future. When the train unexpectedly breaks down, Vivi and Eva are left to fend for themselves in a countryside teeming with dangers and marvels they never dreamed of.
This movie, swimming between the seas of classic zombie survival horror and a drama with a strong background, suggests there are things worse than civilization’s collapse. Horror and hope get mixed up in a way one doesn’t know anymore what to expect. Endzeit (2018) is the movie adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name written by Olivia Vieweg, who also wrote the screenplay of the film.
Carolina Hellsgård, born in Sweden and based in Berlin where she has developed most of her career, was the director of Endzeit (2018). This is her second feature film after the awards winner debut Wanja (2015) and a good collection of short films. Maja Lehrer and Gro Swantje Kohlhof play the two main roles in a cast completed by Marco Albrecht, Trine Dyrholm, Barbara Philipp and Yûho Yamashita.
Endzeit (2018) had its world premiere at the TIFF – Toronto International Film Festival last September where the reception was more than positive. Now it’s been announced that American distribution company Juno Films has achieved the distribution rights in the film in the USA. No date has been announced, so it’s expected to be anytime along 2019.
Here you can watch the TIFF trailer for the film in original German language and with English subtitles uploaded in the official YouTube channel of the festival TIFF Trailers:
