Worth: $14.00
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Cast:
Nick Young, Alexandra Slade, Michael C. Burgess, Kathryn Schott
Intro:
… will wash over you like a beautiful monochrome nightmare.
Friend of the World is a surreal example of body horror from filmmaker Brian Patrick Butler, where two people of differing political beliefs are driven to work together in the hope that they’ll both survive in an apocalyptic catastrophe.
In the blue corner we have Diane (Alexandra Slade), a filmmaker who wakes up in a bunker surrounded by bodies and blood. Disorientated and alone, she is taken in by apparently the only other occupant of the bunker, our fighter in the red corner, General Gore (Nick Young). Things immediately get off on the backfoot when Gore announces that the world has likely ended above ground. Decisions had to be made, he announces, and he was the one to make them. If at this point, you’re expecting Gore to start talking about the Purity of Essence, you’d be forgiven.
In a way, Friend of the World feels like Ripper never died in Dr Strangelove and went onto survive the H-bomb ridden by Major Kong. (Butler even refers to this Kubrick classic in one of several chapter headings that break up the film). Yes, Gore is a seemingly paranoid, chain smoking, brick outhouse of a man who hasn’t got time for a ‘millennial’ like Diane to start thinking that the world can be saved.
As the film progresses, Gore and Diane start making their way further into the bunker, with the General dosing the filmmaker with what he calls an antidote to the horrors within. This comes with the caveat that side effects include hallucinations of varying degrees. From here, Butler uses this to blur what Diane is really seeing amidst the shadows. For example, is the man (Michael C. Burgess) who farts out suicidal demons really there to cause havoc, or is he part of a shared delusion?
In some ways, Friend of the World is a black comedic theatre piece translated to celluloid. Although, our protagonists move further and further away from where they were, stumbling over reanimated corpses, they never lose sight of bickering with each other about life, the universe and everything. So much so, that they may as well have stayed where they were for all the good it’s doing them.
Think of it like what would happen if Vladimir and Estragon were up against the undead instead of waiting for Godot. And with that said, kudos must be given to Slade and Young who really commit to the bit as reality begins to melt around them.
There’s meaning behind what Butler puts on screen, but it would be a lie to say that it’s not frustrating trying to pry some of that out of the film. It can be seen as allegory about the dangers of propaganda or even the naivety of hope. In some ways, it’s about religion and how a misunderstanding of the original message – whether intentional or not – can blossom into a domineering belief system that will swallow us all. As such, it’s likely to push as many people away as it is to attract them.
However, when all is said and done, if you’re willing to hand yourself over to the film wholeheartedly, Friend of the World will wash over you like a beautiful monochrome nightmare.
