The Quiet Earth

The last person on Earth

Well it’s been a while since I caught a film festival. And although I was slightly disappointed in not being able to watch the World Fastest Indian, I was certainly entertained by The Quiet Earth.

Just for the record, the movie was made in 1985 and this was my first time watching it. I caught this movie at Great World City with the only two people who are still willing to go out with me to watch obscure films. Yes I speak of them.

The movie begins with the sun rising out over the ocean, while seagulls and other birds are seen and heard on and about the beach. I admit this is the first time I see a sun rise for so long on a cinema screen. Zac is apparently sleeping in an ocean-front motel room as the morning sun shines in through the window.

At precisely 6:12 am the sun momentarily darkens and we briefly see a red light surrounded by darkness, as if seen through a tunnel. The sun then returns to normal and Zac awakens suddenly, appearing somewhat surprised. Looking out the window, he sees the rising sun, but doesn't notice there are no longer any sounds of the birds or other animal life. The radio produces only static. Calling the motel operator, Zac gets no reply. He dresses, gets into his car, and drives toward the city.

As he approaches the city, it becomes apparent that there are no other humans or animals to be found. Moreover, it appears that everyone has simply vanished in the midst of their routine activity. Downtown Auckland is utterly devoid of people. Investigating a fire, he discovers the remains of a crashed jetliner. But there are no bodies, only empty seats.

Arriving at his place of work, he enters an underground laboratory and logs into the computer system, which simply indicates "Project Flashlight Complete". He finds no people, save for a single burned and disfigured body, whom he recognizes as that of his colleague. His discovery causes the body to fall onto the control panel, triggering a radiation leak, which results in Zac becoming sealed in his lab. By rigging a makeshift explosive, he escapes and seriously begins to assess his situation.

Since the electric power is still operating, he goes to a radio station and sets up a repeating broadcast, asking anyone who hears it to contact him at his home. After several days without reply, his mental state begins to deteriorate. He alternates between exhilaration and despair.

He moves into a large mansion and begins to loot the stores for all kinds of material possessions and luxuries. He plays with real trains and police cars as if they were toys, and begins to wear all types of fancy clothing. Eventually he breaks down altogether, and sets up a massive PA system where he addresses cardboard cutouts of famous historical figures (such as Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, and Pope John Paul II) in Caesar-like fashion. He does so whilst clad in a woman's slip. He accompanies his speech with recorded fanfare and applause. The electric power finally fails, just as Zac has declared himself "President of this Quiet Earth".

At this point he becomes violent, and goes on a destructive rampage throughout the city. He is still wearing the slip, which is now tattered and missing one of its straps. He tears through a church and demands that God show Himself ("If you don't come out. I'll shoot the KID!!!" he screams, whilst pointing his rifle at a statue of Jesus).

He shoots the statue to pieces, and finally declares himself to be God. He drives heavy construction equipment though buildings, stopping his rampage only after running over a pram, which he fears may have had a baby inside.

Totally despondent, he points the barrel of the rifle into his mouth, with the intention of killing himself. Before pulling the trigger however, he manages to pull himself back from the brink of madness. We then see him emerge naked from the ocean and run back to shore, and (symbolically) back to sanity.

Having re-established himself in an adequate but more modest home, he sets up a generator and programs a computer with sensors to monitor the local conditions. He is beginning to notice subtle changes in the environment, suggesting that the disappearance of everyone may not be the only consequence of the experiment.

One morning he is surprised to come across another survivor, a young woman named Joanne. Together they begin to search for other survivors, and eventually become lovers.
After a time they are confronted by yet a third survivor: a large Maori tribesman named Api.

The expected love triangle develops between them, but Zac is more concerned by some very disturbing observations: Several fundamental constants of the universe have changed, and are continuing to do so. The sun is fluctuating in output, and may be on the verge of collapse. Zac believes that "The Effect" may be about to occur again.

During this time, the three of them come to realize why they survived the Effect: They were all on the verge of death when it happened. Api was being drowned in a fight with a fellow tribesman, when the Effect occurred. Joanne was electrocuted by a faulty appliance at the same time. We also find out that Zac had in fact gone to the motel to commit suicide, and had taken a fatal overdose of pills at the time of the Effect.

Api suggests that the way to prevent the Effect from recurring is to destroy the facility, which is still operating. This will unbalance the Project Flashlight "grid", and (hopefully) stop the Effect from happening again.

The three manage to put aside their mounting personal tensions, in order to attempt to destroy the facility. They approach the facility with a truckload of explosives, only to be driven back at the perimeter by high levels of ionizing radiation. Zac heads back toward town, supposedly to obtain a remote control device, by which to drive the explosive laden truck into the facility.

While he is gone, Joanne and Api make love, after which Api announces his plan to sacrifice himself by driving the explosives into the facility alone.
Before he can do so however, they both see that Zac has already begun to drive the truck in himself. As the truck reaches the facility, it falls through the roof into the underground lab, while the Effect begins to occur. Just as the Effect reaches a maximum, Zac activates the detonator switch, which sets off the explosion.

Once again we see the red light surrounded by the dark tunnel (as seen in the beginning of the film), but for a more extended time. As the Effect subsides we see Zac once again alone, lying face down on a beach. There are strange cloud formations over the water, resembling waterspouts. As he rises and walks to the water's edge, we see an enormous ringed planet rising on the horizon.

The film closes on Zac's face, bewildered and unable to comprehend what has just happened.

Final Note
I recommend this movie if you have a fetish for obscure films and if you can tolerate the fact a grown man is running butt naked in the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand. Seriously the first half of the film is thoroughly compelling was else the second half was a disappointment by comparison.

Had they continued the focus upon the effects of a total catastrophe upon the mind of a single human being, the movie would have been an instinct sci-fi classic. However, in the second half of the film we are introduced to a number of additional plot threads which, while interesting, lack the power and intensity of Zac’s solitary reign.

P.S How in the hell did they vacate all the townsfolk to shoot this movie?

So till my next post ya, its bye from Ganz.

---