Films in Focus “Decay” – Physicists vs. Zombies

Instead of cemeteries, shopping malls, or once densely populated cities, “Decay” (CC BY NC by H2ZZ Productions) takes place in an unusual location: in Switzerland, to be precise at the Large Hadron Collider LHC. As is well known, black holes are readily created there when small particles are accelerated. When the particle accelerator fails, a group of doctoral students takes over the control layer, while the rest of the team searches for the cause of the failure.

What must happen, happens: For mysterious reasons, the particle accelerator resumes operation, thereby exposing innocent researchers to harmful radiation. In zombie movies, zombies are typically created either by radiation or by a virus – the former is the case here. The doctoral students spend the rest of the movie fleeing through the winding corridors of the LHC. Incidentally, the movie was made at this very location by doctoral students of the LHC.

Light…:

“Decay” is an amateur film – but you would never think so from its visuals. The way it plays with sharpness and blurring is very successful. The perspectives and shot sizes are handled skillfully. The music, lighting, and sound effects support the mood, and the make-up is also worthy of praise – the zombies look quite zombie-like, and the victims are portrayed quite realistically.

… and shadows:

I was a bit disappointed by the acting – too often the spark did not really want to jump. After the zombie attack, the actors remain strangely calm – especially James’s girlfriend, with whom he was flirting so lovingly just before, seems to be forgotten quite quickly, only to be searched for later. James’s gradual change is the best realized in acting terms, but in many other places the actors are not so convincing. I noticed one continuity error – how can it be that a zombie lying on his stomach at 0:57:30 gets shot in this movement and later lies on his back?

Conclusion

The criticisms must be mentioned, but they also need to be put into perspective – after all, these are physics doctoral students at work, not film students. The little inside jokes and loving references to the world of physics are great, by the way – my favorite part is the awesome homage set in Comic Sans in the credits.

The most important message of the film, however, is: Yes, it is possible. You can make your own films, release them under CC, they will reach their audience, and in turn inspire other people to create their own works, be it reviews, remixes or new films. And that is very good news for the creative people of this world.