Directed/Written by Antonio E. Greco.
Many have difficulty with films such as THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION because of amateur acting and clumsy editing and problematic pacing of story. All those things are present in THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION, but still, if you’re a fan of zombie horror, you are more than likely going to find something about this indie film to admire.
Let’s get to the problematic stuff first here. THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION has a lot of pacing problems. Maybe it was because of the amateur acting, but a lot of this film drags like the zombies that star in it. There are huge chunks that I feel could really be clipped away to make a faster moving story. There are a lot of nice elements here, but there is also a lot of meandering between them. A snip and slice here and there in the editing room could make for a much more enjoyable movie.
Now, the amateur acting might have been what made this film seem too long. Though I understand it’s hard to get great actors for a low budget film, if you know the actors are not the best, again, editing can cover a lot of that. Here, even though these aren’t the best of actors, a lot of time is spent on them, and a lot is expected from them. Because of this, the lack of professional acting skills is evident.
That said, I think the stories at play in these four vignettes which are titled by the seasons that pass are fun. One centers on a survivor whose only friend is a zombie. Another follows a group of survivors paddling down a river filled with zombie infested waters. Another features a clinic where experiments on the dead are being made to find a cure. Finally, the best story of the bunch features a loner who finds a young child holed up in a house and must confront his inner demons to properly care for him. All of these are winning concepts filled with nice ideas that are touched upon in these short installments. Antonio E. Greco’s stories should be commended for the fact that they are creative, focusing on the zombie apocalypse, and though the execution is often problematic when it comes to acting and editing, the ideas themselves are strong.
I also have to admire this film for the fact that it chooses to shy away from an outbreak scene. So many zombie films focus on the outbreak. It’s a tried-and-true way of amping up the scares and emotion, but it’s a story so often told that I tire of seeing zombie films because it feels as if that’s the only story people want to tell. Here the outbreak occurs and this is more about adjusting to these changes rather than being shocked by them initially. In many ways I understand, given the walking wounded feel of zombie films in relation to reactions of helplessness to 9-11, but maybe it’s a good sign that series like THE WALKING DEAD and like this film have shied away from the initial shock and focused on what to do next. Though it makes for equally harrowing stories, it also can be said that this is an optimistic way of looking at being a survivor rather than a helpless victim.
Cultural significance aside, the redeeming factor with THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION were the little moments of cool (the canoe riders come across a bridge filled with zombies who drop on the boats from above like kamikazes as they pass under them) or moments of fun (a doctor empties a bedpan filled with blood and bile onto a zombie’s head far below). The ending of this film shows that Antonio E. Greco has a lot of talent in the way he pulls the story all together while giving a nod to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the zombie film that started it all. Though rough around the edges, THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION redeems itself though clever ideas and fun moments.
