ALL THE LOST ONES (2024)

3 stars

Reel2Reel Films. Digital. 1st September

We are in a world where the environment is in a bad way. The death toll is rising because of it. There are protests and the imposition of martial law.

Due to this, an armed to teeth right wing militia group calling itself The United Conservancy (UC) has taken over a large portion of the US of A. Ordinary citizens hide in fear as civil war has broken out.

At a remote lakehouse, owned by Mikael (Steven Ogg), there is a bunch of people, trying to keep off the radar of the UC. Among them Penny (Vinessa Antoine), her sister Nia (Jasmine Mathews) and Ethan (Douglas Smith), Nia’s boyfriend plus others who aren’t that important to the plot really. They are hiding away.

Nia throws up as she is pregnant, though she hasn’t told anybody as yet it seems. Going for a midnight swim she finds a dead body in the water. A few of them go on a supply run out of the remote woods into the nearby town. Looters are long gone and the shops are abandoned with rats making themselves at home. The whole thing starts to feel like an episode from a certain TV series – the only thing it lacks is zombies.

Of course it isn’t long before their fragile peace is broken when some of those military types turn up at the house. Violence erupts but they manage to overpower the men – but more can’t be far behind. Several of them decide to move on to try and stay ahead of the militia. How much longer can they stay safe…?

Though set in the US this was shot in Canada. Considering the subject this is all quite bland and involves lots of wandering around in the woods. None of the characters particular register and Nia being pregnant is meant to add some jeopardy to the situation, but proceedings never rise above the mediocre. Devon Sawa plays the vicious leader of the armed attackers but isn’t in the film enough to feel like much of a threat.

Steve Kirkham