Sci-fi short POINT ZERO kicks off with an act of brutality signaling the extreme level of violence and danger ever-present in the devastating future it depicts. The film opens on a young man searching though the ruins of a once large city.

He is on a desperate mission to obtain precious supplies. His quest takes him deep into the enemy territory of feral humans who will kill him on sight.

After he breaches the enemy’s compound, he is forced to resort to murder in order to avoid discovery and abscond with the supplies he needs. Unfortunately, he is soon spotted and a life-or-death struggle begins.

Written, produced, and directed by Arthur Cauras, POINT ZERO is remarkable because it creates a believable post-apocalyptic world where danger and death seem to wait around every corner.

This is key to the film’s emotional impact.

Unlike many other onscreen projects set post apocalypse, POINT ZERO does not make concessions to vanity which can impede suspension of disbelief. For example, characters do not walk around with faces wearing close-up ready makeup while outfitted in clothing that looks like castoffs from The Gap.

The ruined settings are real, the characters are covered in dirt and grime, and no one looks prepped for an Entertainment Weekly cover shoot. There is a grittiness and starkness present which helps sell the reality of a brutal future in which almost every vestige of what is considered “civilized” behavior is long gone.

While the ruined future of the film looks very real, the cinematography by Sébastien Milhou is gorgeous. From the golden-hued sunrise which reveals the bones of a once-major city, to the vivid framing of nature retaking spaces once urban, POINT ZERO is a magnificent-looking film.

Last but not least, Alaa Safi as the film’s lead turns in an outstanding performance as a determined and courageous man seeking to protect one of the last, true treasures remaining in a world gone mad.

Watch the award-winning POINT ZERO below…

POINT ZERO is a gripping and affecting story of survival in a future in which almost every trapping of civilization and its mores have been stripped away.

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