How would you prepare for the end of the world? Or, better yet…how would you prepare for the post-apocalypse? The day when the world is dust, the population is ravished, the landscapes are deserts, and the road is everywhere and everything. Basically, the world is Australia. How would you prepare? How could you?
You can cower in a corner at the thought, or you can devote your adult life to building flamethrowers and finding ways to inject your muscle car with steroids so that you can rule the land, run the gamut. And in the meantime, while you wait for the end of the world, you can ride around in a vehicle built for pure testosterone and testicles. If you chose the latter of the two options, then you’re obviously trying to recreate The Bellflower.
Oh, it starts out ordinarily enough. Here are a couple of slacker guys, Woodrow and Aiden, who enjoy a state of arrested development in one of L.A.’s less glamorous neighborhoods. They are fixated on Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic scenarios, and to that end spend all their time building an indestructible car and constructing a flamethrower. If the apocalypse happens, they will be ready. If anything else happens — say, if they need to get a job, or pay some bills, or take on a responsibility — they will be quite a bit less ready.
Woodrow and Aiden’s friendship is momentarily disrupted by the appearance of Milly, a beautiful blonde with whom Woodrow begins a whirlwind romance. Milly is similarly free-spirited and bohemian, and likewise apparently unencumbered by employment. She and Woodrow are adorable together. He’s a little shy; she’s a little wacky.
And then … wow. After establishing a completely believable and lived-in relationship for Woodrow and Milly — one that rings true for all who have ever been young and smitten — the film just as capably shows the disintegration of such a relationship, the boredom and complacency that can emerge over time. We were hooked by their giddy romance, and now the rug is pulled out from under us.
And then … and then. Man. You’re not ready for this. When things go south with Woodrow and Milly, the movie evolves even further, and now it does not belong to a genre. There are elements of horror, exploitation, vengeance, tragedy, and buddy comedies. There is more fixation on post-apocalypse survival techniques. The timeline gets fractured. Unspeakable things occur.
A lot of movies like to communicate the message that love triumphs over all, even at the end of the world. But not all love is great or endearing. The relationship between Woodrow and Milly is tumultuous to say the least. Words might be the most damaging weapons that we actually have next to chainsaw-rifles, and even those have to be refilled every so often. The pair fight and bicker, despite having other things to worry about. It should be pointed out that it’s not jealousy or a third party that causes the strife to arise; sometimes, two people just aren’t meant to be. As was said in a previous movie review, not everything that glitters is gold, but not all love is good.