The Battery



The Battery is mostly what's known as a two hander. It stars Jeremy Gardner and Adam Cronheim as two former baseball players who are trying to survive following a zombie apocalypse.

It's as much a character drama as a horror film. The main characters,  Ben and Mickey, are friends and rely on each other both for survival,  and as an anchor on sanity.  Much of the drama rises from the cracks that begin to form in their relationship.

The movie follows them as they travel , looking for supplies and a place that can offer at least relative safety.

The film reveals that at the outset of catastrophe,  they were trapped in a house with Mickey's family for three months. Only Mickey and Ben survived.  This event has shaped how the two of them experience and react to events that follow. Ben, for instance,  does not want to sleep inside, fearing being Trapped.  He always wants an avenue of escape.

Mickey seems unable to adapt to reality.  He believes that the world will return to normal and that they merely need wait out the worst of it. He creates a sort of isolation by constantly listening to music through headphones .

One day they find a set of walkie talkies, which will bring other people into their world. This is the film's major turn, and sets up an amazing final act.

The Battery is wonderfully staged and shot.  The obviously low budget lends an almost verite feel to the entire affair.  The director leans into this giving us things like an extended sequence of tooth brushing that is, honestly , much more affecting than it should be.

This film also uses music beautifully . The score is spot on, and the selection of songs all work in service to the character development .

There is some solid zombie action and serviceable gore.

All told The Battery is a strong entry in the zombie genre and well worth a watch

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