Parabellum

What becomes of humanity when the end of days is nigh? It finds a way to capitalize on it, of course. Lukas Valenta Rinner’s pitch black comedy and feature directorial debut introduces us to a world we soon discover is in disorder through cryptic soundbites and ominous media clips. Hernán (Pablo Seijo), a public investigation worker, travels with a group of mundane middle-class Brazilian suburbanites to a secluded resort-like survival boot camp where they’ve paid to learn skills to prepare for an eventual apocalyptic society. As strange explosions streak through the sky, it becomes clear that time may come sooner than they think. In their isolation and unease, tension among the strangers becomes an understated and captivating unfurling of havoc. A fictional guide, The Book of Disasters, sharply leads the story in chapters. A voyeuristic look at simple lives in complicated and exploitative times, PARABELLUM is as unnerving as it is darkly ironic. (In Spanish with subtitles) –N.D.