Line #18 Film/ZForZachariah


1	[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/z_for_zachariah_poster.jpg]]
2	''Z for Zachariah'' is a 2015 movie starring Creator/MargotRobbie, Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor, and Creator/ChrisPine. It is based on [[Literature/ZForZachariah the novel of the same name]] by Robert C. O'Brien.
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4	In the wake of a nuclear war, Ann Burden is one of the last surviving humans, eking out a life in a valley that was conveniently spared the ravages of nuclear fallout. After a year of solitude, she is joined by a man named John Loomis, who survived thanks to a suit that he designed before the war. Soon after, they are joined by another survivor named Caleb, and thus begins a complicated love triangle.
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7	!!''Z for Zachariah'' contains examples of:
8	* AdamAndEvePlot: Hinted at when John tells Ann they should save up supplies not just for themselves, but also "anyone else". Though she doesn't get what he means, John seems to be thinking they might have a baby some day, and at this point it's left unclear whether anyone else in the world is still alive.
9	* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: [[spoiler:The film ends with Ann and Loomis deciding to carry on living together without yet looking for other survivors. In the novel Ann leaves the valley after a tense confrontation between the two.]]
10	* AdaptationExpansion: The original novel only had two characters, Ann and Loomis. The film adds a third survivor, Caleb.
11	* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: The meaning behind the title is omitted from the film.
12	** The book, however is still shown
13	* AdaptationalHeroism: Loomis is portrayed much more sympathetically in film than he is in the book.
14	* AfterTheEnd: The film takes place after a nuclear war has wiped out nearly everyone on Earth.
15	* AgeLift: Ann is a teenager in the novel, but a grown woman in the film.
16	* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: The ending leaves it deliberately unclear whether Loomis is telling Ann the truth when he claims that Caleb chose to leave the valley to continue his journey, or whether he murdered Caleb and is lying to her to cover it up.]]
17	** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: If you choose to believe that Loomis is telling the truth about Caleb deciding to leave the valley]].
18	** DownerEnding: [[spoiler: If Loomis is lying, then he [[KarmaHoudini gets away with]] [[MurderTheHypotenuse killing Caleb]], with Ann apparently none the wiser. Having no other alternatives, and despite having stronger feelings for Caleb, she stays with Loomis and the two apparently start a new life together.]]
19	* ApocalypseHow: Class 4 - life remains undisturbed in the valley in which Ann lives, but it is implied that it has been wiped out on most of the rest of the planet.
20	* ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: The Movie {{HandWave}}s it by saying that the valley is protected by topography and weather patterns, but it is basically impossible for one area to remain completely uncontaminated if the rest of the planet has been irradiated to the point of eliminating all life.
21	* CanonForeigner: Caleb does not appear in the novel.
22	* DespairEventHorizon: Invoked. Ann at one point says that she considered giving up and not planting crops for the next season, but she decided against it.
23	* GreenEyedMonster: Definitely in play between Loomis and Caleb, regardless of how you choose to interpret the ending.
24	* HazmatSuit: The characters have them, allowing them to venture into irradiated areas outside the valley. One plays an important role in the climax, when [[spoiler: Caleb almost slips off a cliff while encumbered by the bulky suit he is wearing, and needs Loomis to save him. [[AmbiguousEnding Maybe]]]].
25	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:If Loomis did kill Caleb, he's this by the end, living with Ann with no more competition, and with her apparently none the wiser of his deeds.]]
26	* LastNameBasis: Caleb always calls John "Mr. Loomis", seemingly in keeping with his Southern civility.
27	* LoveTriangle: Between Ann, Caleb, and Loomis.
28	* MercyKill: John shot a teenager who begged him to, and he thinks this may have been Ann's brother.
29	* MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:One possible interpretation of the ending, if you believe that Loomis murders Caleb.]]
30	* PostApocalypticDog: Before Loomis shows up, Ann's dog is her only companion.
31	* RaceLift: Loomis was white in the original book, but is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the film.
32	* ReleasedToElsewhere: The ending features an ambiguous example. [[spoiler:Loomis tells Ann that his romantic rival Caleb has left for a previously mentioned SafeZoneHopeSpot. However, the audience is shown that Caleb had been interested in staying around to romance Ann while expressing doubt that the safe zone is real, right before he ended up hanging from a cliff with Loomis in a position to let him fall or save him. Caleb may have decided to leave after all due to gratitude for Loomis saving his life or fear about how Loomis almost didn't, but it's also possible that Loomis did kill Caleb and is lying to Ann.]]
33	* RiddleForTheAges: The end of the movie leaves it ambiguous whether [[spoiler:Loomis kills Caleb in a TragedyOfImpulsiveness by letting go of a rope Caleb is hanging from, or Caleb leaves the valley. Caleb had expressed a desire to stay and be with Ann right before finding his life in Loomis's hands, but might have changed his mind out of gratitude for Loomis saving his life or fear due to how clearly Loomis was tempted to let him fall.]]
34	* SoleSurvivingScientist: Loomis is a scientist, and seemingly the only one left alive.
35	* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Ann's dog Faro]] lives, unlike in the book.
36	* StabTheScorpion: A variant occurs where the "scorpion" isn't dangerous. Romantic rivals Loomis and Caleb go on a turkey hunt, and Caleb falls several steps behind Loomis and shifts his rifle in the direction of Loomis's back before the two fire at the turkey. However, he really is only shooting at the turkey.
37	* TakeOurWordForIt: The devastated landscape outside of the valley is never actually shown, which does little to undermine the descriptions of how barren and ravaged the rest of the world is.

Context Film / ZForZachariah