THE MEEK

Short (19’)

In a twist of chromosomes and fate, young Izzy may be the key to humanity’s future in a world ravaged by a deadly virus.

In a world where a deadly virus is wiping out humanity, a 12-year-old girl with Down syndrome is left in the care of her survivalist uncle.

Frank, at ease with a gun and living off the land, has little sympathy for a kid like Izzy. The frosty relationship takes a while to thaw, and just as Izzy’s resilience wins Frank over, he contracts the virus. Transmission is airborne and mortality is 100% - and yet Izzy remains strangely unaffected. Frank has to make a decision – should he spare Izzy the horrors to come – or give her the chance to survive? He chooses the latter – teaching Izzy all that he can before taking himself off to die.

Izzy is safe on Frank’s farm – but loneliness soon drives her out into a world where humanity has disappeared and nature is rising up. Eventually she finds herself at an abandoned supermarket, where a young boy emerges from the shadows. Like Izzy, he has Down syndrome - his extra chromosome protecting him from the virus. The two share food, and walk on together, through a town that is theirs to inherit, in a world where humanity's most vulnerable are the survivors.

Premiere: NZ International Film Festival, 2021

Credits

Directed by: Gillian Ashurst / Produced by: Catherine Fitzgerald, Nadia Maxwell / Screenplay by: Gillian Ashurst
Director of Photography: John Chrisstoffels / Editors: Jonno Woodford-Robinson, Thomas Gleeson
Starring: Izzy Ashurst, Paul Glover, Tandi Wright

Festivals & Awards

2021

New Zealand International Film Festival