‘Párvulos’ is a Post-Apocalyptic Coming-Of-Age Story With Too Much To Say [Fantasia 2024 Review]

Since George A Romero’s zombie classic Night of the Living Dead, we’ve become incredibly familiar with the ins and outs of the zombie movie. For decades filmmakers have tried to put their own spin on the mindless undead, making them fast, repulsive, intelligent, monstrous, and even sympathetic. With his new film Párvulos, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival, writer and director Isaac Ezban gives us glimpses of a unique take on the zombie, but ultimately is mired down by an overlong script and an unpredictable tone that never fully commits to either pitch black comedy or disturbing nihilism.

Salvador (Farid Escalante Correa), Oliver (Leonardo Cervantes), and Benjamin (Mateo Ortega Casillas) are three brothers alone at the end of the world. A virus has decimated the world’s population and they’ve been left to fend for themselves. Salvador is now the parent, eating worms and honey for protein and crafting a DIY prosthetic leg so he doesn’t always have to rely on his crutches. He’s become a hardened parent to his two younger brothers, a protector against the world and the secret they’re guarding in the basement. 

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Now I won’t spoil the reveal but it’s a very obvious one that isn’t really that much of a surprise at all, especially as Ezban’s script so obviously telegraphs the truth. And honestly, the twist is unnecessary. There are much more interesting discussions at play here about violence, family bonds, the destructive power of love, and the corruption of innocence. This is just the first instance of the film’s script overcomplicating a fascinating concept at Párvulos’ core. 

That concept shines brightest in the film’s first half as Ezban builds this world through harrowing imagery of corpses hanging outside their house, dead dogs hunted to feed whatever lives in the basement, and frogs boiled for soup. Yes, this is a movie chock-full of animal death so be warned if that gets under your skin. This world is bleak but also darkly funny, with comedy found in the ridiculous yet necessary ways the boys try to survive. 

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But that dark comedy that makes Párvulos so unique fades away in the last hour, giving way to zombie trope after zombie trope that dilute what was so effective about the film’s beginning. With an almost two-hour runtime, Párvulos could have ended in three different places but instead it goes full steam ahead into increasingly bizarre directions. It’s a film that feels confused about what it wants to say, so it just says everything at once in hopes that something will stick. 

Narrative woes aside, Ezban certainly has an eye for the horrific as he splatters blood, guts, and flesh across the faces and hands of three boys forced to grow up very quickly. He knows how to shock and disgust with incredibly effective imagery that makes you squirm in your seat. Interestingly, these disturbing tableaus are drained of color, with Ezban opting for a washed-out aesthetic (an increasingly common technique in art house genre films as of late) to say something about the world being drained of joy. It’s an interesting risk taken in the film that unfortunately feels more like another thing to try rather than a deliberate choice made to convey a specific message. It doesn’t necessarily add anything to the cinematic experience, again feeling like just another element added to make Párvulos feel different. 

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The most consistent part of Párvulos, aside from the gore, is the performances by our trio of boys who truly feel like a group of brothers bickering and supporting each other at the end of the world. While the stakes for their survival are high, Ezban makes sure to still show the boys as just what: boys. They are innocents forced to reckon with their dark reality, even if they don’t always comprehend it. Casillas as Benjamin is particularly charming as the youngest brother being shielded from as much of reality as possible, even though he’s smarter than Oliver and Salvador give him credit for.

No doubt Párvulos will find its own cult base of fans due to its unapologetic look at the loss of innocence in the face of the apocalypse. Ezban is unafraid to shatter taboos and tell a bleak tale that’s bursting with blood all while letting kids murder adults with rocks. Sadly, it’s over complicated to the point of being frustrating and at times irresponsibly and explicitly anti-vaccination. There is definitely a strong artistic vision on display here, determined to shock but aimless in its execution. 

Tags:fantasia 2024

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