The film tells about Kendal, a teenage girl, who is struggling to protect her last well and working in a drought-ridden valley. In this dry place, everything seems to have dried up and exploded, as Barron, a greedy person, tries to get water and all the precious resources that remain underground. During this period, Kendall must fight bravely for everything she cherishes and the things she left.
At times, like its cast of characters, The Last Survivors looks a little rough around the edges, but it certainly achieves more than its glossy compatriots.
Hammock's carefully composed widescreen shots of the parched landscape contribute to crafting the film's stripped-down, distinctly menacing visual aesthetic and emphasize the isolation of the inhabitants, forced to compete for water and survival.
An attenuated plot (and some very questionable logic) leaves us with a long and wearying Road populated by people with luxurious hair and far-too-neatly-trimmed beards.
There's nothing really new on the thematic front here, but production designer-turned-director Tom Hammock does wonders with desert vistas and, along with Richardson, has created a sci-fi heroine as real as the girl next door.
It's a film that depends heavily on its central performance. Richardson shines in what was her first major film role, giving Kendal a roundedness rarely seen in either genre.
