Artsploitation and Get Off The Road bring you Molly, a Sci-Fi Action epic brought to you by Colinda Bongers and Thisj Meuwese. The film stars Julia Batemaan as the superheroine fighter Molly, with performances by Joost Bolt, Emma de Paauw and Annelies Appelhof.
Molly is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where drug-induced zombies called Supplicants run rampant. The human race has been reduced to scavengers, hiking miles for food and shelter. Molly, an enhanced human, is one of these survivors, fighting and killing her way across the countryside when she comes across an abandoned child, Bailey (Emma de Paauw.) When the insane Deacon, (Joost Bolt,) hears that Molly has been spotted, he demands no life be spared in capturing the young Molly as she is destined to be his star in a Supplicant “dogfighting” ring he runs, where Supplicants are thrown together into a cage to battle to the death.
There is a lot to look forward to with Molly, and is impressive in dozens of ways. Baateman’s choice as Molly herself is inspired, from her unique look to her attention to detail making arrows. Clearly this lead was either born to play the part, or she went through a lot of survivalism training for the part. It pays off well, making Molly a fun and fascinating character to watch. It makes the character believable, even when she is calling hawks from seemingly thin air. Bolt’s megalomaniacal Deacon comes a close second in the fun watch category, thanks to his wacky choices and original uses for bald head smacking.
The clear nods to the inspirations for films like this are also present and are enjoyable easter eggs to find. I saw calls to Star Trek’s famous “Amok Time,” Alien, Mad Max and Escape From NY. You could even say Tank Girl, Labyrinth and Alien are also very prevalent. A true stand out is the fight choreography that brings the urgency, and the sprawling watercolor portraits that cinematographer Kris Patmo with his lens. The choice of lighting and tone is stunning throughout, making the landscapes as open and bursting with hope, whereas Deacon’s world is artificial, dark and neon. The lack of score in most places adds to the brutality of the fights and heaviness to the issues at hand.
For an hour and a half movie, there are certainly some slow points. I grew a little weary a time or two but none as noticeable as the third act, which was a lot of action. You want it to be a big blow-out for sure, but the duration made it a bit of a marathon rather than a race with a few places to catch your breath. My biggest issue was the questions I have that were never answered, which left the plot a little shallow. There is no explanation given about the Supplicants, or Molly’s condition. It leaves you unsatisfied. Pair that with a cliffhanger ending that teases a sequel is pretty confident, considering it is never easy to make an indie sequel, but hopefully a sequel or trilogy would answer the questions that frustrate you.
I do hope this movie blooms into a series, because there is plenty of interesting ways to go with the story. Molly is a strong and unique character, and Get Off The Road is a company that has been gaining strength and speed for awhile now. To see where they go with Molly would be a delight and a great addition to the zombie apocalypse pantheon.
Molly, which premiered at the Imagine Film Festival, will be available on digital in the US nationwide on October 2, as well as Blu-ray.
