Director's notes by Max Jacoby
Concept
I have always wondered what it would be like to be the last on earth. Walking down the main boulevard of my hometown, everything completely quiet except for the sound of my own footsteps resonating between its empty build- ings.
Perhaps to some, this image of complete emptiness might evoke feelings of sadness or even horror, but to me it has always had a haunting beauty to it, which forms the basis of this film.
Structure
The story is deliberately very minimal and linear. Instead of juggling numerous plotlines, we can give our full attention to the triangle that develops between the twins and Gabriel.
The fact that our characters’ world is deserted also serves this purpose: it removes all other form of human interaction and allows us to purely concentrate on the tensions and conflicts that develop between the three of them.
Themes
The absence of parents, or any other form of authority, is obviously every teenager’s dream.
But in this post-apocalyptic world it has become a frightening reality. This film is truly a coming- of-age story since the twins are faced with the challenge of living by themselves.
While this does not present any problems in terms of survival, their emotional lives are in turmoil.
Their isolation drives the twins towards incestuous liaisons. Although it is mostly suggested, it is a defining factor in the their relationship and later the source of conflict with Gabriel.
This film is not supposed to pass a moral judgement on incest. In this unpopulated world and in view of the twins’ bond, there is an inevitability to it that even Gabriel’s appearance does not manage to change.
ever since most of the human race has disappeared from the face of the earth. However, with the unexpected arrival of Gabriel, a boy a bit older than themselves, their harmonic relationship is about to come to an end.
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