When it comes to starting a conversation with a stranger I am the last one to begin. In fact, depending on the circumstances I try to deter them from uttering anything my way. In an elevator there is not enough time for a conversation to start up usually; but on a plane, I tend to carry a sense of dread along with my carry-on bag until I find out who is sitting next to me. When I am on a plane I do not want to be coerced into a conversation; I want to sit in my seat reading the magazines from my knapsack. Please do not judge me but there have been times where I pretended to have laryngitis just so I would not have to talk to my seat mate. Now here is the interesting part about everything I just said. If some type of crisis occurs while I am among a group of people, I am right into the conversation along with everyone else around me. When I was waiting to board a flight as an earthquake struck, you better believe I was chatting up a storm with the strangers around me. Gratefully I have never been stuck in an elevator, but I cannot image standing there in silence while others are trying to figure out what they should do. I do not know if it is a comfort level or trust issue thing regarding my wariness to engage in a conversation with a stranger. It certainly was something I thought about as I watched this mysterious drama.    RESIGNED to the belief she was the only person left alive on earth Ann Burden, played by Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, About Time), was stunned when she came upon a stranger named John Loomis, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Kinky Boots), who was sick from radiation exposure. What was the right thing to do? This science fiction film had a simple apocalyptic story that was beautifully filmed. The only other actor in the cast was Chris Pine (Star Trek franchise, Unstoppable) as Caleb and I have to tell you I thoroughly enjoyed all three of them. Margot was unrecognizable to me at first; I felt she was the stand out of the group with her wonderful portrayal. The acting, the stunning landscapes and fluid editing kept me constantly engaged in the story. I do have to tell you the slow pacing may weigh a person down from fully enjoying this interesting film festival nominee. Also, I hesitate to list this as a science fiction picture though it is classified as such because except for the premise, there really was nothing sci-fi about it in my opinion. As far a I was concerned I was watching a series of events that contained several curious possibilities to ponder. Even after the movie I was still wondering how I would react if I were in any one of the character’s situation.

2 1/2 stars