"Eradication” Creeps Its Way Under Our Face Masks
A little picture goes a long way for entertainment.
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Dear Moviegoers,
It all starts with desperation. Two people in the woods, wearing protective gear, are racing away from an unknown force. Soon, they die. For context, things go backward to breaking news of a spreading virus. From here, there’s little that’s unfamiliar. In fact, it’s mostly exact, down to leaders telling the world that everything will be alright. Soon, fascism kicks in. Then… nothing. It’s now everyone for themselves. Quiet.
…the worst-case scenario of our pandemic reality, drawing from our collective nightmares to find cinematic terror.
Eradication, the new Tubi original film, is the worst-case scenario of our pandemic reality, drawing from our collective nightmares to find cinematic terror. It’s closer to 28 Days Later and In the Earth than real-world fears, but of course, this movie would likely not exist had COVID-19 not existed and ravaged lives all over. Exploitation? That’s a stretch, though maybe not inappropriate of a descriptor. The frights exhibited do depend a bit on our general anxieties of infection, but somehow and someway, Eradication takes it upon itself to express our fear of the unknown, unknowable, and what’s out of reach.
This is very much a surprisingly imaginative movie that properly trains the eyes on the thing that’s beating, instead of on the beat all alone. Another way of putting it would be that people are front and center, not fodder for a tale ripped from headlines. It’s a pretty dark tragedy, really. It’s like being trapped in the middle of the ocean or in deep space - that feeling of silence that’s overwhelming to the point of pain. Eradication is entirely that, and then some.
Still, there’s room to smooth out some roughness. Things are introduced, from drone devices to video communication to “dangerous people” to the relaxed ending that almost refuses to stop. The unknown unknowns, the things we don’t know that we don’t know, are slightly introduced anyway. Why do that? Such teasing, while doing the deed of end of the world-building, is not foundational, but supplemental. And mere supplements to something already stripped down can be too much to handle. Too cold to hold? Sure.
It’s a pretty dark tragedy, really. It’s like being trapped in the middle of the ocean or in deep space - that feeling of silence that’s overwhelming to the point of pain.
Made with a tight crew, Eradication is an almost victorious film, conquering its story's limitations and production to convey genuine creepiness and startling humanity. It stands near the top of the heap of pandemic movies coming out now and rests as a piece of true entertainment. A Sunday afternoon viewing? Not so much. A trip to the cinema? Yes, if it weren’t exclusive to streaming with ads. Alas. 3.5/5
Eradication is now streaming on Tubi.
Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,
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