By Mary Anne Hempe
pop writer
"Ever Since the World Ended" debuted at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2001 ... and nearly ended there.
Despite good reviews, the story of the survivors of a worldwide plague couldn't find a distributor when the festival concluded.
Then tragedy struck with 9/11, and no one wanted to watch anything post-apocalyptic for a awhile.
It only took a few years, however, for the love of doomsday to come back in style with big-screen hits like "28 Days Later" (2002) and the TV cult fave "Jericho."
With renewed fervor in what life would be like without everybody else around, the market was finally right for "Ever Since the World Ended" to be released on DVD in 2006.
Our story is told in faux documentary style by Cal (Calum Grant) and Josh (Joshua Atesh Litle), two filmmakers who decide to document for future generations what life is like 12 years after a worldwide plague wiped out most of humanity, leaving just 186 people in their San Francisco hometown.
Since there are so few survivors in the city, they've been able to make supplies last. The city's water system still works and they have power, thanks to generators, batteries and solar panels.
Despite relative comfort, San Francisco is a dull and lonely place. Most fill their days trying to find some kind of meaning. Mama Eva (Angie Thieriot) runs a big commune on the hill, where she strives to maintain a sense of "normalcy." The city's sole-surviving Native American, Ed (Ed Archie Noisecat), spends his time carving wooden images of his tribe's history. George (George Frangides) is planning to turn an old art gallery into a plague museum, where he claims he'll exhibit proof the CIA and the CDC were responsible for releasing the virus.
The adults are stuck in the past, unlike the under-20 crowd, who were kids when the plague hit. Teens have accepted things will never be the same. While they've grown up without parents, they've also lived without wars, homelessness and hunger. They're sick of all the whining about how great things were; they think everything is fine now.
Most folks are happy to be in Cal and Josh's movie, even town weirdo "Mad Mark" (Mark Routhier), a former rescue worker who went nuts and was banished by the group for setting over a dozen fires that destroyed tons of food reserves. He's back now, terrified of the void that remains "out there" and desperate for sanctuary.
The decision about what to do with Mad Mark takes up a good portion of "Ever Since the World Ended," but there's still plenty of time for great segments from the two pot-smokin' surfers (Simon Thieriot and Stewart Fallon), free spirit Santosh (Brad Olsen), the poor pathetic plague museum guy (George Frangides) and a harrowing, deadly expedition outside the city.
Overall, "Ever Since the World Ended" is a terrific entry into the post-apocalyptic genre. Thought-provoking, remarkably realistic and well acted, this 78-minute look at what might be is one you won't forget soon.
You can find "Ever Since the World Ended" (rated PG-13) at Hastings. Check it out.
