The Park (2023)

March 13, 2023 7:12 AM

After a virus kills all of the Earth's adults, rival children battle for control of an abandoned theme park.

Starring Chloe Guidry, Nhedrick Jabier, Carmina Garay, Billy Slaughter, Carli McIntyre, Laura Coover, Presley Richardson, Sean Papajohn, Legend Jay Jones, Evan Soto, Makaila Faith Nixon.

Written, directed, and edited by Shal Ngo. Produced by Natalie Metzger.

71% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Available for digital rental. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (2 comments total)

This looks great, as it was filmed in the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans. The child actors are well cast and do a great job. The direction is good. It's just... slight? I wish there was a little more to it. At times, it feels like a movie cobbled together from an aborted TV series. Still, it's solid all around, and at only 80 minutes, it's hard to be mad about it.

The one thing I would say is that if you like this, check out the 2021 Italian TV series Anna, which has a similar premise, but is expansive, lyrical, and unpredictable. It absolutely pains me that so few people saw that one.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:17 AM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

DOT, I saw Anna when I was sick with Covid at the end of last year. Solid series! Having lived briefly in Rome, it was nice to spend time wandering around Italy again. I especially appreciated the junk-food trading post the creepy twins had set up in their papa's grocery store. (Because it was honestly the scariest thing in the whole show, not the wannabe fashion-model nihilism castle.)

This looks interesting, I'll have to check it out.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 8:15 AM on March 16, 2023