Search
Resize text+=

‘Pink Zone:’ Film Review

Pink Zone takes the popular “Young Adults in a Dystopian Future” genre and does it on a shoestring budget. It’s certainly not The Hunger Games, but it’s a good reminder of how a filmmaker can turn a little into a lot, with just a bit of creativity.

Set in the near future, a strange disease has wiped out most of the female population. Men are the carriers of this disease, who pass it to women with a kiss. A single kiss can kill a woman instantly. This has, understandably, caused a major shift in the way men and women interact and relate. In an effort to keep them safe, the government has rounded up the remaining girls and placed them in the Pink Zone—essentially an internment camp.

This internment camp is represented by a high school campus. Most of the action takes place in a classroom, or in the halls surrounding it. The guards of the Pink Zone are teenagers in long-sleeved white shirts, white pants, and white baseball caps. The whole thing is done very simply, but it’s surprisingly effective at conveying the bleak, desolate feel of the world they live in.

The film follows Emily (Jayna Sweet), whose father (Matt Cooper) is the most powerful man in this dystopian world and the only hope of finding a cure for the terrible kissing disease. Emily is hated and tormented by her peers and teachers alike for the special treatment that her father’s status affords her. But, they all have to put up with each other as they attend the nearly deserted high school, day in and day out.

Then, one day, the school is taken over by a violent group of teenage boys. They take Emily and the other girls hostage while they wait for their leader to arrive and carry out some sinister plan. Much as the girls hate each other, they’re now forced to work together to come up with a plan to escape from these boys, who can kill them with just a touch of their lips.

Parts of the film are difficult to watch. There’s a lot of violence against women, as well as threats of murder and rape. Most of the male characters are thoroughly unlikable – misogynistic and evil to an insane degree. It’s not always easy to like the female characters either, given the vitriol that they constantly spew at each other. As the film goes on, though, and they begin to bond, it gets easier.

There are a number of underlying themes that the film addresses, from the oppression of women to female empowerment to sexuality as a weapon, and more. Some of them are done better than others, and certainly not everyone will agree with the implications these themes bring with them, but they can still potentially generate some important discussion. It’s not a film for everyone. But, if you like dystopian stories and dysfunctional characters, you may enjoy Pink Zone.

Steven W. Alloway, Fanbase Press Contributor

ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=150&d=mm&r=gforcedefault=1

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top