When universes blow up, according to Eastern philosophies, all lives get destroyed except for a few lucky ones who happened to be in exactly the right place, at the right time. Like Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who survived not one but both U.S. atomic bomb attacks on Japan. What are the odds?
Taking that concept as a template, the premise of “Z for Zachariah” works. There’s a valley, somewhere in the American South, that’s remained entirely unaffected by worldwide nuclear holocaust.
It’s a latter-day Garden of Eden (and it’s a good-looking movie, shot in Hobbit-land, New Zealand). Which means in terms of casting, we need Adam, Eve, the voice of the Almighty, a fruit tree, and a snake. Two Adams would make it very interesting—a Genesis love triangle. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
