The Girl with All the Gifts 
U.S.A./U.K.
2016
Opening 9 Feb 2017
Directed by:
Colm McCarthy
Writing credits:
Mike Carey
Principal actors:
Gemma Arterton, Dominique Tipper, Glenn Close, Paddy Considine, Sennia Nanua
A dangerous infection turns people into human-eating monsters called “hungaries.” No person is safe and each attack spreads the infection further. A few children have come down with this infection, but seem to be able to control the urge to gobble up everything in sight. They live in a clinic in England (filmed in Birmingham) and go to classes, where they are under the constant surveillance of Sargent Parks (Considine), who reports to Dr. Caldwell (Close). She hopes to find a gene to use as a basis for a vaccine which could possibly prevent the spread of the disease. One girl, Melanie (Nanua), is especially bright and resourceful; she also adores her teacher Helen Justineau (Arterton). Soon, “hungaries” attack the school in their frenzy and the children, as well as the three adults, find themselves in the horrors of the outside world, far from the safety of the clinic. Melanie, true to the title, uses her gifts to take on the responsibility for her friends’ survival.
It’s fantasy time and the zombies are back, as if they had just left Resident Evil to jump into this film and why not. Sennia Nanua as Melania in her first cinema role gives us reason to think that we will see much more of her. The story is based on the book of the same title by British author M.R. Carey. It showed at several festivals including in Locarno and Toronto and the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival in September 2016. Recommended for anyone over 13 (due to some of the hard action), who loves fantasy. (Becky Tan)
