From indie production company Dark Sky Films, Flavio Pedota’s zombie film, Infección (Infection), is an intense, outbreak thriller centered around one father’s search for his son amidst the chaos of regional collapse. This Venezuelan-language film took me by surprise — it’s winning narrative, fast-paced camerawork, and stunning visuals drew me in from the beginning. It is honestly one of the best zombie films I have seen this year — so far.

The zombies in this movie are frightening! They are the running dead — covered in blood, strong, and they most definitely want to bite every person in sight! I would say that the zombies, and the vibe of this movie in general, are reminiscent of the dark, on-the-run, thriller style of 28 Days Later. Rather than being a zombie film which provides commentary on the social decay of society, Infection is a viral outbreak film that speaks to man’s shortcomings in the face of impossible calamities — a message that hits a little too close to home in a COVD-19 world. At a time like this, watching Infection is a cathartic experience.

Infection follows a widower named Adam Vargas (Rubén Guevara), a doctor in the Venezuelan countryside. On the day that he sends his son on a trip to visit his grandparents, the country becomes gripped in a zombie outbreak, quickly becoming even too much for the government and military to control. It is up to Dr. Vargas, his neighbor, and a determined doctor from the WHO to find a cure, however, Vargas must first risk his life to save the life of his young son, and possibly, save the world.

Infection has so many strong points, faulting the film would be nitpicking at its heels that stand on great sound mixing and film score, framing that powerfully shows without telling, and often beautiful cinematography juxtaposed to the film’s gruesome and gut-wrenching content. Tight-night shots of sweaty faces revealed the tension and suspense of scenes — the close framing was often heart-stopping and the action is in your face. The gore promptly follows behind the outbreak of action, acting as an exclamation point to a violent scene. The only issue I had with the film was the English character’s role in the narrative — she seemed shoe-horned into the story and was under-utilized in dialogue yet was given a distracting amount of camera time.

A rare Venezuelan-horror gem, Infection is an excellent, high production quality film, especially for one that is an independent film. Co-writer/director Flavio Pedota crafted a wonderfully shot, surprisingly emotional, hard-hitting zombie film, a great accomplishment for a first time director on a shoe-string budget in a country experiencing resource shortages! I wouldn’t say that Infection offers any new ideology, concept, or zombie-lore to the genre, however, it stands not too far behind other modern and successful zombie films as far as quality. Also, Infection feels as though it could be like Train To Busan was for South Korea in helping to draw attention to Venezuelan horror. An Official Selection of the 2020 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, Infection is due for VOD release and DVD re-release on April 24th, 2020.

MOVIE RATING — 7 out of 10 ☠️

PULLQUOTES