Monsters (2010)

Recommended

UK

Feature Film

Writer/Director/Cinematographer: Gareth Edwards

Composer: Jon Hopkins

Cast: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able

Six years after a NASA probe carrying samples of extra-terrestrial life back to earth crashed in Mexico, which subsequently took hold, leaving much of the north of the country a no-go area, Andrew, an earthy photographer, and Samantha, his boss’s daughter, set off on foot across the infected zone towards the US border and, whilst avoiding some big multi-tentacled whatsits, slowly fall for each other, in Edwards’s ultra low-budget feature debut, a pleasing mix of biting social commentary and charming character study – it’s likely to leave action hunting genre fans disappointed, though. Iain.Stott

For a slightly longer piece, see 1000 Nights in the Dark.