Lazareth
Lazareth
Amidst the vastness of the woods, three people stagger in a cabin for their dinner. The first thing they do before eating is to fold their hands as in prayer. However, it is not to God that they are appealing, but rather the cabin itself, which bears ‘the name of Lazareth.’ Their home, Lee (Ashley Judd) explains, provides them with safety, nourishment, water, and warmth. It is “more than a place, an idea, a world within a world.”
This is the first world. We then listen as Lee speaks to Maeve and Imogen about the time before they resided in Lazareth, ‘When people lived in cities and wore out their lives doing mind-numbing activities.’ But later came a plague, and then the great systems came crashing down. Those who were affected by the sickness perished. The rest turned out to be nearly semi-wild.
The virus-struck world may be out there, but even in such hard times, it still hasn’t managed to take away the beauty of history. This is seen in Lazareth which has candles everywhere and memorabilia from before the virus outbreak. Everything else would be okay if we were not constantly reminded by the chaos outside. Every time Lee goes back from a supply expedition, fully wrapped in protective suit, he has to remove her gloves and mask to burn them.
The whole life of Lee is dedicated to protecting the girls, nearly in a motherly sense. If they also ask her if they are going to tag along with her, she says: “I spare you things. You stay here and prance around and that is how it should be.” Imogen played by Katie Douglas and Maeve played by Sarah Pidgeon are both very young girls when the film begins, but before too long, we witness them teenagers. They have been as thoroughly insulated by Lee that they had never known anything about the world except that it is too perilous.
Three major, overlapping areas, all familiar in literature and cinema were further explored in this movie as they have existed in humanity and are very hard to deal with.
To begin with, parents and caregivers alike have to endure the innate duty of protecting children from feeling any fears or sadness which in this case is accentuated by the terror of the virus and brutality from the other survivors. This is why Lee wants to terrify the girls so that they do not leave Lazareth but at the same time, make them feel that as long as they are with her, nothing can happen to them.
Also, a civilization is a very thin layer. The same small percentage of humans that were left living after the virus has most easily become whatever it took to survive. Lee puts it candidly: “Nature has already taught them typical people in their essence and they get what they can find”. There will be some that will grab everything they can from others while others will try to ensure they are not able to do so.
And Lee as well. At the start of the film, a woman is seen approaching the cabin with a photo depicting two little children in her hands, desperately pleading for some food. Just as Lee was about to hand her over a few food cans, she noticed the woman scratching her shoulder which is a clear indication that the woman is infested and contagious. Lee has no second thoughts and she shoots her without delay.
It’s not only the external factors that make it hard to shield youths. Growing up has its own dangers as well, which is the third representation of the film. We see Imogen and Maeve for the first time when they are young girls but for the better part of the movie, they are portrayed as girls in their teenage and played by Katie Douglas and Sarah Pidgeon. And when they see a hurting teenager Owen (as shown by Asher Angel in ’Shazam’), hidden inside their bravado, comprehensible teenage feelings of dissent and sexuality kindle. They seek refuge with him in Lazareth and are captivated by his muscular body while washing him and the wound on his side.
The battle sequences, as well as the scenes of fighting, build enough suspense that is effectively harrowing. There are also scenes where the steady flame of some candles and the creaking sound of the wooden walls of a cabin create hope of warmth but at times, it becomes horrifying when the rage of intruders is drawn.
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- Genre: Thriller
- Country: United States
- Director: Alec Tibaldi
- Cast: Ashley Judd, Sarah Pidgeon, Katie Douglas
