''Friend of the World'' is a 2020 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

black-and-white film Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, a ...

written and directed by

Brian Patrick Butler Brian Patrick Butler is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is known for writing and directing the film ''Friend of the World'' (2020), writing and performing in the film ''Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea ...

in his feature film debut, starring

Nick Young Nicholas Aaron Young (born June 1, 1985), nicknamed "Swaggy P", is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the Pac-10 The ...

and Alexandra Slade. The surreal

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that does not apply standard cinematic conventions, instead adopting Non-narrative film, non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many e ...

takes place

post-apocalypse Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronomi ...

and tells the story of a young filmmaker (Slade) and a military general (Young) trapped in a bunker with a mysterious threat. Written as a

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

body horror Body horror, or biological horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction that intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body or of another creature. These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutat ...

film in 2016, the film was produced by Charybdis Pictures. Inspired by the threat of nuclear war and current political events, Butler also cited the works of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

, and

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and ...

as influences. Filming took place at

Gray Area Multimedia Luke Anthony Pensabene is an American film actor, film producer, cinematographer, and United States Marine Corps veteran. He appeared in the films ''Fletcher and Jenks'' (2016), ''The Phantom Hour'' (2016), and produced the films ''South of 8'' ...

and other parts of

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

in May, 2017. It premiered August 15, 2020 at the

Oceanside International Film Festival The Oceanside International Film Festival (OIFF) is an annual film festival held in Oceanside, California. It was founded in 2009 by the Oceanside Cultural Foundation. History The 11th annual festival was the first in person event since 2019. ...

and was released on

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

in 2021. The film was distributed by

Cineverse Cineverse Corp. (originally Access IT Digital Media, Inc., and later, Cinedigm) is an American entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Cineverse’s businesses encompass digital cinema, streaming channels, content marketi ...

and

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production company, production and film distributor, distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz (producer), Michael Herz in 1974. They are the longest running independent film ...

. Film critics compared it to ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...

'', ''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'') is a 1964 political satire black comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is loosely ...

'', ''The Lighthouse'', and ''

10 Cloverfield Lane ''10 Cloverfield Lane'' is a 2016 American science fiction horror thriller film directed by Dan Trachtenberg in his directorial debut, produced by J. J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber and written by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, and Damien Chaze ...

''. It has approval rating from reviews on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, ranking in their best horror and science fiction films of 2021 and their 100 Best Zombie Movies.

Plot

Diane ( Alexandra Slade) awakens in a bunker surrounded by dead bodies after a brutal massacre. After attempting to escape the structure, she eventually passes out at the bottom of an

elevator shaft An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems such ...

where she is rescued by a mysterious man who calls himself General Gore (

). Though he plays

mind games Mind games (also power games or head games) are actions performed for reasons of psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor ...

with her, Gore gives her food and water as he attempts to figure out who Diane is and how she got into the bunker. Still shaken, she has trouble piecing it together, but she can remember being taken there by force. She also tells him about the

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

she had been creating. Gore hints at a contingency plan for escaping the bunker. Without a good alternative, Diane decides to follow him through the toxic environment in hopes of reaching safety. Along the way they are attacked by mutating creatures that were allegedly poisoned by

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...

. A tension and psychological confrontation slowly develops between the two survivors as they get nearer to their destination and Diane feels her

sanity Sanity (from ) refers to the soundness, rationality, and health of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational. In modern society, the term has become exclusively synonymous with ''compos mentis'' ( and ). The ...

start to slip.

Cast

Production

Brian Patrick Butler and Kerry Rossall at OIFF 2017

2016–2017: Development and pre-production

The

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

was formulated in 2016. Butler said the film is a "universal story about conceptions of good, evil, corruption and the twisted passing of the generational torch from a fractured, wisened psyche to a self-righteous, still-developing one." Inspiration came from issues at the time such as the threat of nuclear war and the

2016 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor, Indiana governor Mike P ...

Pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, video game, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the co ...

started around August 2016. For casting,

said he was stumbled upon while performing on stage and was cast as Gore after being asked to audition by mobile video. The character of Diane was originally written as a young man, but scheduling conflicts and delays led to rewrites and ultimately Alexandra Slade was cast in the role. Kerry Rossall contributed to the production as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

, funding the project directly.

2017–2019: Principal photography and post-production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on May 13, 2017, in

and lasted for ten days. The majority of filming took place at

, an underground studio which doubled as a

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

, a key location Butler had intended to use for the production. One of the exterior scenes was filmed at Sunset Cliffs, a location Butler chose to resemble the beauty of the world before chaos. Another location was the Tierrasanta entrance to

Mission Trails Regional Park Mission Trails Regional Park is a open space preserve in San Diego, California, United States. The park was established in 1974. It is the sixth-largest municipally owned park in the United States, and the largest in California. Description ...

near Camp Elliott. The

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

was handled by

Ray Gallardo Ray Gallardo is an American film director and cinematographer who directed the films ''At the Frontera'' (2018) and ''Callejero'' (2015) and was the cinematographer for the films ''Friend of the World'' (2020)'','' ''The Fifth of November'' (201 ...

and the special make-up effects by C.J. Martinez. Butler had a

rough cut In filmmaking, the rough cut (also known as the first cut or editor's cut) is the second of three stages of offline editing. The term originates from the early days of filmmaking when film stock was physically cut and reassembled, but is still ...

of the film ready within months of wrapping but the final stages were not complete until 2019, after Daniel N. Butler edited the

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

and

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

. The production was Butler's directorial feature length debut and the first film of his longer than a 15 minute runtime. Upon completing the film, Butler said:

Music

Corin Totin of Sick Flix mentioned the film has "a background score of an almost unrecognizably discordant version of ''

Ode to Joy "Ode to Joy" ( ) is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by the German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller. It was published the following year in the Thalia (German magazine), German magazine ''Thalia''. In 1808, a slightly revi ...

''." Celia Payne of Let's Talk Terror said "a surprisingly gleeful

string arrangement The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

accompanies scenes where humans-turned-monstrosities melt into themselves,

shape-shift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...

, and eat rats, bringing the audience into their world of insanity."

Themes

Style

Melissa Hannon at Horror Geek Life said "although it technically falls within the

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...

category, ''Friend of the World'' defies any specific genre." Mark Harris at Black Horror Movies mentioned it mixes horror and sci-fi with heady drama. Several critics pointed out that it is a body horror film. Others conclude that it is a strange

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

filled with

subtext In any communication, in any medium or format, "subtext" is the underlying or implicit meaning that, while not explicitly stated, is understood by an audience. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "an underlying and often distinct theme ...

. Lisa Marie Bowman at Through the Shattered Lens said it comes with "a hint of Kubrickian

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

" with scenes reminiscent of '' Alien'', concluding that surviving the end of the world does not mean you'll have a choice on who remains with you. Joseph Perry at Horror Fuel mentioned it's like ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'' if

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

and

Charles Beaumont Charles Beaumont (born Charles Leroy Nutt; January 2, 1929 – February 21, 1967) was an American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres.Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, "Beaumont, Charles" ...

ate psychedelic material, or if ideas from ''

'', ''

'' and ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkn ...

'' were merged. Albert Valentin of World Film Geek claims it is a zombie apocalypse film in the realm of "

Romero The name Romero is a nickname type of surname for an Ancient Roman or a modern day Italian. The name was originally derived from the Latin word Romaeus and the Greek word Romaios, which mean Rome, Roman. #A person on a religious journey or pilgrim ...

meets Muschietti meets Cronenberg." Redmond Bacon at Tilt Magazine said it blends the

zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror ...

genre with the existential film

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

, acknowledging Butler, as if he had a "''

Raging Bull ''Raging Bull'' is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent and Nicholas Colasanto (in his final film role). The film ...

''-like"

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

version of ''

''. Sean Parker of Horror Obsessive mentioned it has similarities to ''

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

'', with

political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

and doomsday conspiracies. Paul Klein at Filmhounds Magazine said the "weird mix of horror and comedy" felt like a "companion piece" to '' The Lighthouse''. Zombies NightoftheLivingDead

Butler chose to have the film mostly in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

to accentuate the perspective of Gore's world. Alain Elliott at Nerdly said shooting in black and white helped its style and

low-budget film A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a film, motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studios, major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream ci ...

constraints. Milana Vujkov at Lola on Film claims it has "a terrifyingly delightful string of corruptive catalysts, explosive apparitions of post-humanity, taken straight out of Burroughs" and that the "unsustainability of the human condition in a genetically modified apocalypse is a mix of home movie and

Brechtian Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

theatre play." Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews said that the fifty minute film is split up into chapters which allows for viewers to ponder at the

nonlinear narrative Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative, or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the ...

. Jeremie Sabourin at Cinema Smack mentions that some filmmakers will extend a narrative out to ninety minutes even if they don't have enough story to tell. "With ''Friend of the World'' though, it sometimes feels like there's ninety minutes of content compacted into its fifty minute runtime." Celia Payne at Let's Talk Terror appreciated its shorter runtime, stating that "it shows the filmmakers know when their story is done and don't try to extend when not necessary." Butler claims he structured the film to be around fifty minutes, like an episode of '' Twilight Zone'' or ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...

''. Butler said:

Connection to reality

Karla Peterson at ''

The San Diego Union Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' said that Butler did not anticipate his feature-film debut to happen virtually during an actual

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

, although "the surreal environment is a perfect match for an unsettling film where the source of chaos might just be a contagion." Being made available around a global conflict, during a pandemic and

controversial Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opp ...

election year, it was received by critics as a

prophetic In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divin ...

experience. Some critics called it a COVID satire or

socio-political Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how ...

horror thriller, drawing thematic comparisons to Butler's 2023 screenplay ''Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea'' and speculating that the latter film could be a prequel.

Character analysis

Jeremie Sabourin at Cinema Smack claims "''Friend of the World'' also feels like a natural continuation of our current world due to its characters." Rebecca Cherry at Film Carnage said it makes a good attempt to identify "a more character driven apocalyptic story pulling elements from a modern America." Jim Morazzini of Voices From The Balcony claimed the characters as being "

archetypes The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...

at opposite ends of American society" and compared the uncertain reality of the film to "''

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is an 1890 short story by American writer and American Civil War veteran Ambrose Bierce, described as "one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature"."An Occurrence at Owl ...

'' like flight of a mind approaching death." Brian Robertson of The Vista Press said "its characters echo a disturbing truth that is currently plaguing our nation today." Conor McShane at Morbidly Beautiful said it's a film that brings up the ideological and racial divides in America.

Protagonist

Diane ( Alexandra Slade) is a young

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...

filmmaker. She is a grounded, level-headed individual with

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

views. Joel Fisher of Battle Royale With Cheese points out that Diane being a filmmaker is Butler allowing the audience to "smile a little at the director mocking himself."

Antagonist

General Gore (

) is an old, heavily built

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

who seems increasingly unhinged. S Dewhirst of ''Set The Tape'' said he is "wild-eyed and larger than life, a big man with a big voice, big gut and big ideals." Critics have compared him to

Sterling Hayden Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor, and Marine. A leading man for most of his career, he specialized in Westerns and film noir throughout the 1950s, in film ...

's Jack D. Ripper of ''

'',

Powers Boothe Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor known for his commanding character actor roles on film and television. He received a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He won ...

's Senator Ethan Roark of ''

Sin City ''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir Comic book, comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Prese ...

'',

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

Jack Torrance John Daniel Edward "Jack" Torrance is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Stephen King's horror novel '' The Shining'' (1977). He was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the novel's 1980 film adaptation, by Steven Weber in the 1997 m ...

of '' The Shining'', and his voice to

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

and

Gerald Mohr Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows. Early years Mohr wa ...

Influence

In an interview with

Times of San Diego This is a list of media outlets based in the city of San Diego. People in San Diego are also able to receive media from Tijuana, Mexico. Print Newspapers * '' The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is the city's primary newspaper, published daily. The ...

, Butler stated that ''Friend of the World''s style was inspired by the works of

and

. He mentioned that political anxieties and absurdist theatre helped inspire him to write. The film is said to draw inspiration from films and television such as ''

'', ''

'', '' The Thing'' and ''

La Jetée ''La Jetée'' () is a 1962 French science fiction featurette directed by Chris Marker and associated with the Left Bank artistic movement. Constructed almost entirely from still photos, it tells the stable time loop story of a post-nuclear war ...

'', as well as

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

s such as ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play centers around a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters a ...

'' and ''

Krapp's Last Tape ''Krapp's Last Tape'' is a 1958 one-act play, in English, by Samuel Beckett. With a cast of one man, it was written for Northern Irish actor Patrick Magee (actor), Patrick Magee and first titled "Magee monologue". It was inspired by Beckett's e ...

''. It is a

two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as t ...

film with "comic

absurdity Absurdity is the state or condition of being unreasonable, meaningless, or so unsound as to be irrational. "Absurd" is the adjective used to describe absurdity, e.g., "Tyler and the boys laughed at the absurd situation." It derives from the Lat ...

and social

" that broadens the "body horror subgenre of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

and

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

Bible verse

When asked if the film's title had any

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

influence, Butler confirmed it did not.

Release

The film was to premiere in early 2020, but the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

delayed its release. ''Friend of the World'' held a seven day virtual world

premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

at the

on August 15, 2020. In December 2020, a second virtual screening was held at Another Hole in the Head Film Festival. In 2021, it was released on

Plex Plex Inc. is an American software company that runs its namesake over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service and develops media server software that lets users stream their personal media collections to their devices. The company is ...

and

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

and screened at San Diego Film Week. In 2022, it released on

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

and

Xumo Xumo, LLC ( ) is an American internet television and consumer electronics company. It is a joint venture of Charter Communications and Comcast that operates the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD ...

and was acquired by

on their streaming app Troma Now. By 2023, the film was distributed by

and released to an international audience on

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

and

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Reception

Critical response

''Friend of the World'' received mostly positive reviews from critics. On the aggregation website CherryPicks, the film received a 61% positive score by non-binary and women critics. Ally Ham at Video Librarian scored it 4.5 out of 5, stating that "''Friend of the World'' is an evocative indie gem serving a little bit of science fiction, some dark comedy, and a healthy dose of

." John Noonan at

FilmInk ''FilmInk'' is an Australian film magazine published by FKP International Exports. It was founded by current publisher Dov Kornits and Colin Fraser in July 1997, in Sydney. The magazine has been through many changes over the course of its exist ...

said "in some ways, ''Friend of the World'' is a black comedic theatre piece translated to

celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...

." Rob Rector of

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

scored the film 6 out of 10 and said it "works more like a

stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...

than a film ..but it does share a persistent dread and discomfort" comparing it to ''

Possum Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum ...

'' by

Matthew Holness Matthew James Holness (born 1975) is an English comedian, director, author, plus actor. He is known for creating and portraying the fictional horror author Garth Marenghi. Early life and education Born in Whitstable, Kent, Holness became a fa ...

. Douglas Davidson at Elements of Madness said it "has something real to say regarding interpersonal strife powered by

misinformation Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. Misinformation and disinformation are not interchangeable terms: misinformation can exist with or without specific malicious intent, whereas disinformation is distinct in that the information ...

and the narrow view of only certain parts of humanity." Melissa Hannon at Horror Geek Life awarded the film 3.7 out of 5 stars, writing "''Friend of the World'' is truly an

acid trip A psychedelic experience (known colloquially as a trip) is a temporary altered state of consciousness induced by the consumption of a psychedelic substance (most commonly LSD, mescaline, psilocybin mushrooms, or DMT). For example, an acid ...

of a movie." Jeremie Sabourin at Cinema Smack gave it 3.5 out of 5 and felt the tone matched ''

'' as if done by

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...

claiming that "its nightmarish and claustrophobic setting will have viewers on edge." Corin Totin of Sick Flix rated the film 4.5 out of 5, comparing it to '' Tetsuo: The Iron Man'', declaring "this is a piece of art that is very much of this moment and really taps into the surreal horror that we are experiencing in the world at large right now." Film critic

Daniel M. Kimmel Daniel M. Kimmel (born 1955) is an American film critic and author. In September 2014, he became editor of ''The Jewish Advocate'' where he served through December 2015. He received a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a degree in law fr ...

of the Boston Online Film Critics Association said "It makes for a disturbing 50-minute running time that is engaging but will likely leave you wondering what it was all about." Cheryl Eddy at

Io9 ''io9'' is a sub-blog of the technology blog ''Gizmodo'' that focuses on science fiction and fantasy pop culture, with former focuses on science, technology and futurism. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under ...

says "there are flickers of humor along the way, as well as a slight story twist that explains the film's title." Tim Brennan of About Boulder admitted arthouse films can be intimidating to watch, but called it a "strange little

made with intelligence and wit." Anton Bitel at Projected Figures said the film "uses bunkered post-apocalyptic sci-fi/body horror to reconcile an imperfect, polarised world." Alain Elliott of Nerdly said the dialogue driven performances are good and that "when you think post-apocalyptic zombie movie, this movie and its script isn't what you expect." Mitchell Brown at Slay Away said it is a "strange film that is at its best when it focuses on the dialogue and performances of the two leads." Hugues Porquier from Battle Royale With Cheese called it "interesting writing" and "clean photography." They mentioned a possible reference to

Leos Carax Alex Christophe Dupont (born 1960), best known as Leos Carax (), is a French film director, critic and writer. Carax is noted for his poetic style and his tortured depictions of love. His first major work was ''Boy Meets Girl (1984 film), Boy Me ...

's '' Boy Meets Girl'' and said it reminded them of ''

Videodrome ''Videodrome'' is a 1983 Canadian science fiction body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and Debbie Harry. Set in Toronto during the early 1980s, it follows the CEO of a small UHF telev ...

'' and '' Existenz'', swinging "between realism and

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

." Nils Gollersrud at Loud And Clear Reviews said "the film succeeds best in crafting an eerie

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...

and unpredictability that keeps it watchable." Mark H. Harris of Black Horror Movies said "the articulate script is dialogue-heavy with a

philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

bent" and it "presents some thoughtful takes on identity,

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...

and reconciling divergent worldviews." S Dewhirst of Set The Tape said it has "themes of

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the genet ...

, world war,

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

, paranoia and zombies" and that "fans of the off-beat, the weird, and the not-quite-mainstream will likely find plenty to enjoy in this strange, starkly-shot trip through the bunkers and cellars of a ruined world." Kristy Strouse at Wonderfully Weird & Horrifying said that even though the film "sometimes meanders, the captivating performances, gnarly

practical effect In filmmaking a practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques. In some contexts, "special effect" is used as a synonym of "practical effect", in contrast to "vi ...

s, and intelligent direction make the most of its limited screen time." Corey Bulloch of UK Film Review claims it has "world-building that leaves more confusion than intrigue" and "constant ambiguity that it's hard for the audience to maintain invested interest." Keri O'Shea at Warped Perspective said that it "needed to commit to something – oddness, aesthetics, or plot." Rebecca Cherry at Film Carnage gave it 2 out of 5 and said "There's the classic theme of

survival Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...

as with any

apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...

film but the threat isn't sufficient enough to add the right amount of tension or suspense to keep you gripped or invested in the characters' fate." MontiLee Stormer at Movie Reelist scored it 2 out of 5 and said to "save this one as a palette cleanser between a Waters film and a Lynch film." Lindsey Ungerman at Horror Buzz said it had "

Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to popular culture. His work has ...

vibes", was "attention-grabbing and engaging but loses steam quickly due to story

ambiguity Ambiguity is the type of meaning (linguistics), meaning in which a phrase, statement, or resolution is not explicitly defined, making for several interpretations; others describe it as a concept or statement that has no real reference. A com ...

and spasmodic dialogue." They rated it 3 out of 10 concluding that the film was "definitely beautiful" but "too chaotic." Marie Asner of The Phantom Tollbooth scored it 1 out of 5 and came to the conclusion that it "would have made a better

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...

than a film." Josh Taylor at Nightmarish Conjurings said that "it's a clever film that never feels clever enough for its own premise."

Accolades

Legacy

Ranked by Tomatometer, ''Friend of the World'' is one of

' best horror and science fiction films of 2021 and is ranked at 31 on their list of 100 Best Zombie Movies.

Bored Panda ''Bored Panda'' is a Lithuanian website that publishes articles about "entertaining and amusing news". The majority of its articles are repackaged user-generated content from social media platforms such as Reddit, Instagram and Twitter. It was fou ...

included the film on their list of "50 Best Horror Comedies That Will Have You Confused Whether To Laugh Or Scream". It ranks #4 on

's 10 "off-the-wall movies filmed in San Diego" and is one of Video Librarian's "Top 15 Best Narrative Films of 2022".

References

External links

* * * *
Trailer
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

{{Kerry Rossall 2020 black comedy films 2020 comedy horror films 2020 directorial debut films 2020 films 2020 independent films 2020 science fiction horror films 2020s English-language films 2020s political satire films 2020s science fiction comedy films 2020s avant-garde and experimental films 2020 horror thriller films American avant-garde and experimental films American black-and-white films American black comedy films American body horror films American comedy horror films American horror thriller films American independent films American nonlinear narrative films American post-apocalyptic films American political satire films American science fiction comedy films American science fiction horror films American zombie films Films about genetic engineering Existentialist films Films about consciousness transfer Films about filmmaking Films about infectious diseases Films about nuclear war and weapons Films about World War III Films directed by Brian Patrick Butler Films partially in color Films set in San Diego Films shot in San Diego Psychedelic films Surreal comedy films Surrealist films Absurdist fiction Troma Entertainment films Two-handers Films about corruption in the United States Films about conversations Films set in bunkers 2020s American films Films about conspiracy theories Films based on the Divine Comedy American films based on plays Films based on adaptations Films produced by Kerry Rossall Films with screenplays by Brian Patrick Butler Films about the 2016 United States presidential election Films released on YouTube English-language comedy horror films English-language science fiction horror films English-language horror thriller films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language independent films Charybdis Pictures films Films produced by Luke Pensabene