The Last Ones

Release Date: Available on Amazon Prime The Last Ones
Runtime: 78 minutes
Rating: R
Studio: Jara Films
Director: Andrew Jara
Cast: Mark Ocegueda; Algernon D’Ammassa; Marcelle Bowman

Writer/Director Andrew Jara uses a low budget and true independent filmmaker sensibility to admirable effect in his lean and mean doomsday scenario The Last Ones.

A mysterious virus has annihilated much of the earth (ain’t that always the case!), and survivors Jon (Mark Ocegueda) and Michael (Algernon D’Ammassa) take refuge in Jon’s familial suburban El Paso homestead. There is little time the two spend away from each other, the only exception being alternating daily excursions to the abandoned nearby bodega to pilfer gas and supplies. Over time (the movie occasionally and unclearly jumps ahead), the two develop a sort of brotherly bond, with hyper-masculine Michael assuming the role of protector to the more passive Jon. Jara’s script is interesting in the way it establishes a masculine/feminine role dynamic between Michael and Jon. Michael clearly undertakes the more traditional husband/provider role: he is the one wielding the duo’s only gun in protection from the virus-infected zombies skulking about in the night; he is constantly reassuring Jon that he will never leave him; and, most flagrantly, he is seen tenderly, almost lovingly, wrapping Jon’s forearm in order to stabilize it from spasms resulting from some sort of nervous disorder. Jon, for his part, assumes the traditionally feminine role in the partnership, deferring to Michael at all times and cooking for him. In a stark example of the submissiveness surrounding the gender dynamic, Jon wakes up alone in bed, props himself up on one arm, and vulnerably looks to Michael preparing for the day’s survival rituals. All is well and good and working for Jon and Michael until the arrival of a familiar trope: the stranger. She is Karina (Marcelle Bowman) a virus survivor who has made her way on foot, against all odds, to El Paso from Albuquerque. Karina and Jon hook up in a not-too-convincing, but (I suppose for the sake of the cinematic narrative) necessary, romantic affair. Jon and Karina’s romance doesn’t do much for Michael’s increasingly fragile state of mind, especially since he was suspicious of Karina’s presence in the first place. The apocalyptic triad move along in relative domesticity until the inevitable (and admittedly crafty) twist presents itself. The whole thing is over and done with in an hour and twenty minutes. See what I mean by lean and mean?

Jara packs a whole lot of ideas about family dynamics, gender roles, fear of being alone, bromantic relationships (the homoerotic undertones are not unobvious), and survival under extreme circumstances into his movie. While he doesn’t always hit the bulls-eye (the aforementioned romance between Jon and Karina isn’t entirely convincing), I must grant Jara props for attempting to explore these themes while simultaneously paying a movie geek’s homage to zombie-movie ancestors Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. The black and white photography in The Last Ones (courtesy of DP Matt Wilson) is gorgeous and truly highlights the blazing, scorched earth environment that only a locale like El Paso can provide.

The acting amongst the central trio runs from serviceable (Ocegueda) to very good (Bowman – looking like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s shorter doppelganger) to excellent (D’Ammassa). With his shaved head and frantic intensity reminiscent of Ewen Bremner in Trainspotting, D’Ammassa exhibits an undeniable star quality that had me mesmerized from beginning to end. Also effective in his more quiet scenes (there aren’t many), D’Ammassa is an actor I will keep my eye on: it will be exciting to see where he goes.

Working with a threadbare budget of $40,000, Jara has demonstrated that he’s got an eye for composition and style, an economic sense of story structure, and is able elicit effective performances from his actors. Jara is no doubt a director to watch, and The Last Ones will be recognized down the line as a noteworthy early film from a now well-respected director.