The Quiet Earth story
The film follows three survivors of a cataclysmic disaster. It is loosely based on the 1981 science fiction novel of the same name by Craig Harrison.
12 total · 6 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| anthropogenic existential risk to civilization | major | A malfunction in the Delenco consortium's "Project Flashlight", which was an experiment to create a global energy grid, resulted in virtually everyone in on Earth suddenly disappearing. |
| choosing between lovers | major | Joanna was faced with having to choose between Zac Hobson and Api: the two last men on Earth. |
| human vs. inexplicable adversity | major | Zac Hobson woke up one morning to find that everyone else had disappeared and he was left to piece together what had occurred. |
| love triangle | major | Zac Hobson and Api were both vying for the romantic affections of Joanna, who was likely the last woman on Earth, and she liked them both to further complicate matters. |
| the dangers of unfettered scientific advancement | major | A malfunction in the Delenco consortium's "Project Flashlight", which was an experiment to create a global energy grid, resulted in virtually everyone in on Earth suddenly disappearing. |
| what if everyone vanished and I was all alone | major | Zac Hobson woke up one summer morning to discover that everyone else had disappeared in some kind of catastrophe. He later met two other survivors, named Joanne and Api, who had gone through the same experience as himself. |
| descent into madness | minor | Zac Hobson's mental state quickly deteriorated after he found himself all alone so that before long he was going around in a negligee toting a shotgun. But he came back to his senses after a swim in the sea. |
| gender bending | minor | Zac Hobson started dressing in a piece of female lingerie after having spend a number of days all alone in a country mansion. |
| loneliness | minor | Zac Hobson found creative ways to keep himself from feeling alone after everyone else disappeared, like keeping a cardboard cutouts of famous people around the house and playing snooker with an imaginary opponent. |
| racism in society | minor | Some racial tensions emerged between Zac Hobson, a white man, and Api, a Māori man. |