“PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE” (2024) Has The Zombie Bite You’re Looking For! (REVIEW)

You might think you've seen it all at this point in the expansive world of Zombie films. You might even be a little jaded. It’s completely understandable, after all, who are we to judge? However, it’s been our experience that all you need to revitalize a particular subgenre, to pump fresh blood into its decaying heart, is a bold, fresh vision and some creativity. Those two traits are fully displayed in Isaac Ezban’s “Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse.” An inventive and unique take on Zombie/Infected films that places the action in the remote home of three young siblings of varying ages, none older than early teens, who have to contend with a rapidly declining world, the imminent dangers outside their door, and the secret they hide in the basement of their house. Part George Romero, part family melodrama, and all of it is incredibly well-made and distinctly unique.

WHAT WORKS:

The aesthetic of this film is almost hypnotic. Combining desaturated colors with sounds of nature and a languid pace helps, not hinders the narrative. This movie happens to you; it’s an experience. We were lucky enough to speak with Isaac Ezban about making the film (you can watch that here), and we told him that he had us in the palm of his hand from the very start. The dynamic he creates between Salvador (Farid Escalante Correa), Oliver (Leonardo Cervantes), and Benjamin (Mateo Ortega Casillas) feels genuinely familial and real. The sibling dynamic works wonderfully well so much so that we were reminded of the performances Guillermo Del Toro was able to draw out of his child actors in “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” These three young actors have a tremendous weight to carry in the film, and they all do so admirably. 

They're aided by a sparse but well-constructed script by Ezban based on a story by Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes, and the hauntingly beautiful cinematography from Rodrigo Sandoval, whose shots of the countryside and the eerie stillness of nature add a level of quiet forbidding feel to the feature. “Párvulos” actually works best in this regard. You experience it, rather than follow the narrative. The first two-thirds of this film are essentially glimpses of the brothers' endless days of trying to maintain some sort of normalcy in a world gone mad. Ezban is careful to give clues sparingly as to what secret the boys are hiding, and at what lengths they’ll go to keep the outside world from finding out about it.  

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

We mentioned that the cinematography is one of the film's strong points, and that’s true, but Ezban and Sandoval incorporate a distorted fish-eye pan and scan for a few brief scenes that still confuse us as to why it was used. The effect takes you out of the film, not completely, due to its short length, but it's still odd enough to stand out. We've completely missed it if this is meant to signify or illustrate a point. The film's pace will turn some viewers off, and that’s a fair critique. We were utterly absorbed in the story, but it will test some people's patience as the pace is part of experiencing the repeated daily cycle of this terrifying new reality. To Ezban’s credit, it never goes to the point of absurdity, and the moment you’re aware that nothing has happened, something fantastic happens. Some will see this as a flaw, but we appreciate it as creativity. 

No spoilers here, but the third act introduces a dangerous new element to the narrative that leans into folk horror territory. This is less a criticism and more an observation because we’re still unsure how we feel about it. On one hand, it successfully escalates the film's stakes and powerfully demonstrates how fragile the cocoon created can be shattered in an instant; on the other hand, it’s such a stark departure from the movie we’ve been watching that it can be jarring. With that said, it does work within the confines of the story and intensifies the film's final act. 

SUMMARY:

As the new season of “Walking Dead: Dead City” and “The Last of Us: Season Two” is about to be released, we’ll once again be inundated with article after article (we’ll undoubtedly be contributing a few) on zombies, infected, and everything that shambles in the night, it’s refreshing to get a different approach to the material. “Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse” takes from past classics, as do all in the subgenre, but does so lovingly, and with a keen eye toward making something different out of the familiar. We commend this, even if it’s not entirely successful in pulling it off perfectly, there’s more than enough onscreen to recommend this film to all those who love the genre, but more importantly, this may be the perfect film for those unfamiliar with it, and a perfect entry point into the world of the undead. 

Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky!