Bettina Barillas November 4 2018

The End: The Labocine guide to surviving an apocalypse

Films

Anything can happen in a land without laws or organized government.

What does it take to survive in a land where crime and violence are rampant, stores have closed down, and the only food you have is either what you stored beforehand, or what you can grow, find, or barter for? Are you ready for the end of the world? 

Mother, A Fairy Tale

Jill is one of small group of survivors of the Great Epidemic of 2027 and as the crushing monotony of a life of isolation weighs down, she becomes increasingly driven by her need to have a child. In her daily radio broadcast, she learns of a new technology that will allow her to conceive a baby – but is it human? 

Loosely narrated in the style of a nature documentary, this light-hearted film explores themes of connection, partnership, motherhood, and sacrifice. 

Shut Your Windows

Perhaps the most prescriptive in this list of survival advice, Shut Your Windows tells three stories of life in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. The unfolding drama of the released radiation shines new light on the connection between a mother and son, a longtime couple, and two male friends. 

A mix between Napoleon Dynamite and a Wes Anderson film, the stories document the importance of getting on with it in the wake of tragedy. 

Survival Visa

When disaster strikes, the National Arabic Survival Agency, or NASA, gets to work organizing its citizens into those deemed worthy of survival and those not, all to be voted on by the general public. The animated short highlights the ineptitude of bureaucracy in times of crisisand its disastrous consequences for those who don’t make the cut. 

The Girl With All the Gifts

In the not-so-distant future, society has broken down following a fungal infection which has turned the carriers into fast, mindless zombies. Humankind’s only hope for a cure is a small group of specially bred hybrid children who, although still consumed by a ravenous desire for fresh human flesh, are still able to think and learn. These children live a dreary, scheduled life inside a military laboratory where they are constantly monitored. A lab breach puts one of the gifted students, Melanie, at the mercy of the lab’s head researcher – and the unlikely pair go on the run, trying to survive. 

About the author

Bettina is a communications consultant, whose work supports social change initiatives in health and clean energy in southern Africa and Latin America. Her work has seen her teaching photography courses to youth in villages across Botswana, writing content for high ranking officials working in HIV/AIDS programming, and building business case studies for clean energy investments across southern Africa. She is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa.