The general breadth of zombie
The film takes place in a
The Girl With all the Gifts was recently featured in my new favorite horror documentary, Horror Noire, which inspired me to reevaluate the film, not just by the level of unease it causes (high), but by the quality of its social criticism. At first, what struck me most was the question of humanity and the strong portrayal of substitute familial relationships, particularly the mother-daughter dynamic. However, the film is also particularly suited for a gendered and racial viewing when you consider that the main “creature” is a young black woman, while the majority of the survivors are white. Through this lens, the film’s main question becomes: Who are we willing to sacrifice and who has the right to survive?
In horror, the monster has always taken the role of the Other in society. What we portray as monstrous in a
“They just want to live. Everybody wants that.”
In the zombie film, we draw a sharp line between the infected and the uninfected. What The Girl with all the Gifts does is follow the tracks of the late George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985) by forcing the viewer to empathize with the infected. Both films inspire the viewer to sympathize and identify, not with the survivors, but with the monsters. This is clearly not a wholly innovative idea. Mary Shelly’s reanimated creature in Frankenstein presents a similar plot. Frankenstein’s creature is a sympathetic monster who embarks on a coming-of-age tragedy which is mirrored by Melanie’s own journey of self-discovery in The Girl with all the Gifts. In the eighties, Romero’s Day of Dead forced us to cheer for undead Bub because his final traces of humanity were more compelling than the darkness defining the militarized survivors. In essence, Bub the monster takes the place of Ben, the African-American hero of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968)–which radically mirrored racial tensions in the nineteen-sixties. Warm Bodies (2013), though lacking in racial subtext, takes us into the mind of a zombie that struggles between violent impulses and memories of human life. The Girl with all the Gifts furthers this established theme by following an infected child whose ultimate quest is to find out what she is and what that means.
On the military base where Melanie lives, scientists and soldiers weigh her hybrid nature in favor of monstrosity. In their eyes, she and the other children mimic humanity in a clever evolution of their predatory species. The only person who sees the children as predominately human is their teacher, Helen. The sympathetic bond between Helen and Melanie becomes a substitute for familial bonds. Both demonstrate affection and a desire to protect each other, even in the face of Melanie’s violent feeding frenzies. It is Melanie’s distinct ability to control her hunger in order to protect those she cares for that makes her unique. Helen’s ability to love this girl like a daughter brings to question the other survivors’ estimation of Melanie’s value. To Helen, Melanie is valuable as an individual, to the other’s she is only valued as a tool. Thus, the question is: Is Melanie a person or an object?
In her few ‘living’ years, Melanie’s estimation of what she is and what her place is in the new world has predominately been decided by others. The survivors see her as a means to a cure, a necessary sacrifice for the restoration of the old-world order. If Melanie is in fact, other than human, then there is no question of the morality of the cruel experiments she and the other hybrids are subjected to. If on the other hand, there is some essence of what we call “soul” throbbing inside of her, then who is to say that her right to thrive and survive is not equal to that of those living on the last military bases? Is Melanie the next evolutionary step, or is she simply a hurdle for traditional humanity to jump over? These are the questions explored in The Girl with all the Gifts, and the final judgment is sure to haunt your waking hours just as pervasively as it haunts your sleep.
“It’s not over. It’s just not yours anymore.”
Overall, The Girl with all the Gifts is a solid member of the worthwhile-zombie film club. It stays true to the social criticism we’ve come to expect of the genre while providing a stunning portrayal of destruction and gore. Further, as a coming-of-age story, the plot is flawlessly engrossing. It is a true gem in the tiring display of seeming undying zombie media. In particular, the film deserves to stand side-by-side with the other modern, British zombie masterpiece, 28 Days Later.
The Girl with all the Gifts is this February’s horror film of the month. If you’re looking for more Kills-approved horror, check out some of our previous scary movie recommendations.
Let me know what you think of The Girl with all The Gifts. Are you ready for more popular culture zombies or do you need a bit longer of a lull?
