Movie Review: The Domestics

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Last week I was scrolling through my Amazon Prime watchlist looking for a movie to watch when The Domestics caught my eye.

A survival love story! A young husband and wife must fight to return home in a post-apocalyptic mid-western landscape ravaged by gangs.

Its film poster is what made me notice it in the first place, but “apocalyptic” is what made me add it to my list.

I’m not sure why I’m such a sucker for apocalypse and dystopian movies, but I am. It’s always interesting to see how people will interpret end-of-the-world scenarios.

Well, usually it’s interesting. The Domestics turned out to be a pretty decent movie, even with a couple of shortcomings.

A Little Bit Mad Max, TWD & The Purge

There aren’t any zombies, so comparing The Domestics with The Walking Dead might seem off. However, it is like TWD in that people have to learn to survive with one another.

Also, just like TWD evolves into survivor “factions” (ie. the Saviours, the Kingdom, Alexandria, etc.), so does the world in The Domestics. Except it’s more gangs than societies. And the gangs, their territories and their getups reminded me a little of the bad guys in Max Max.

It also reminded me of The Purge, because society has gotten so bad the government felt a need to do something drastic. In the Purge movies it’s about giving people one night to be as lawless as possible while wiping out the “less desirable” portions of America.

The government in The Domestics just hits the reset button entirely with one of the most disturbing opening scenes I’ve ever watched. Planes fly over spreading “black poison,” killing hundreds of millions instantly.

Those that survived are not really the best society has to offer.

Except for our happy couple –or unhappy. They were in the midst of a divorce when the world ended. One the husband, Mark West (played by Tyler Hoechlin) didn’t want. He’s a good guy. He will do anything to save his marriage, including going against his better judgment and leaving the safety of their house to get his wife, Nina (played by Kate Bosworth) to her mom in Milwaukee.

The Characters

I wasn’t nuts about Kate Bosworth’s character for most of the movie. Her acting was fine. It wasn’t anything to do with that. I just couldn’t relate to, or feel much sympathy for, the character. But I warmed up to her when she started showing some cajones near the end of the movie.

The gangs –the Gamblers, Cherries, Nailers, Plow Boys, and Sheets– sported some of the best costumes I’ve seen in a horror movie in a while. Their methods of killing weren’t run-of-the-mill either. That added up to some spooky, tense scenes.

Then there was the seemingly good people who turned out to be as nutty as anyone. Like actor Lance Riddick’s character, Nathan.

After helping Mark and Nina out of a jam, Nathan insists they come have dinner with his wife and kids. It’s so normal it seems out of place, which eventually makes sense because it is. (But I’m not gonna spoil it and tell you why.)

My two favorite characters were Betsy (played by Sonoya Mizuno), and Wanda the Gambler (played by Dana Gourrier). Both played strong women, but one was good and one was not.

Betsy was one of the Cherries who had been captured by the Plow Boys. She didn’t say much. In fact, I’m not sure she had more than a couple of lines the whole movie. She didn’t need words, though. Her actions did all the talking. She was a mysterious badass ninja-like hero who quietly helped Mark and Nina and they didn’t even know it.

Wanda, on the other hand, was loud and brash. Even though she was a bully and a thug, she was still a badass. Her performance stood out. She did a great job.

Rating

The title for the movie came from the name for the people who chose to remain in their homes and neighborhoods rather than joining a gang. Basically, they’re the domestic types.

I wasn’t crazy about the term, but I’m not sure why. This is just a personal thing, and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the movie.

Which I did. I did enjoy this movie.

On one hand it’s a pretty standard post-apocalyptic flick, but on another it introduced some super disturbing dilemmas and nothing was ever quite what it seemed.

It was also fast paced and kept me guessing.

But I wasn’t quite sold on how this interpretation of the devolution of society played out. People do bad stuff to each other all the time, but all I kept thinking was, “Whose mind came up with this world? Now that’s scary.”

Because the world in this movie was not modeled on any kind of reality I’m familiar with. Thank goodness.

But that discomfort and horror is also why instead of three skulls, I give The Domestics three and a half skulls.

Where to Watch It

As of this post, you can stream The Domestics on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, or Hulu. It’s included free with an Amazon Prime (how I watched) or Hulu subscription.

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Do you like apocalyptic movies too? Have you seen this one?