Year 10 (2024)

Year 10 (2024)

In a dystopian world where the environment has become dangerous and cannibalism is the only way for humans to stay alive, Jake sets out on a perilous journey to rescue his girlfriend after a violent tribe murders his father and steals the medicine that keeps her alive.

Ten years after the collapse of civilisation, those still alive resort to cannibalism to survive. There may be exceptions, but apart from the two opening lines, we are not really given any context for this story. We simply follow a man trying to get his hands on some antibiotics. To do so, he must avoid packs of starving dogs and a gang of extremely violent cannibals. I was expecting to see quite a few wolves, especially given the film’s cover art, but I’ll make do with what I got.

There’s a real sense of suspense in this almost post-apocalyptic world. But after an hour, it becomes so over the top that it starts to get on your nerves. There are scenes that you know full well would be impossible in real life, outside the cinema.

Ben Goodger is a British director and screenwriter. So, I suppose we can say it’s a British film! Does anyone have any objections??

In any case, I hadn’t heard of this director at all. Especially as he shouldn’t be confused with the other Ben Goodger (born in London, England), who is a British-New Zealand software engineer best known for his work on the Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers. In 2024, he joined OpenAI, focusing on the development of ChatGPT Atlas. But we’re not here to talk about him!

Our filmmaker, Benjamin Goodger, also from London, holds a degree in anthropology from UCL. He has a passion for gripping genre films with universal themes.
There are certainly quite a few people who have said or thought that this film is nothing special. And yet!

In fact, there is no dialogue in this film. It seems to me that not a single word is spoken. That’s what makes this film accessible to anyone speaking any language. What’s more, it clearly deals with cannibalism, but there are no unbearably violent scenes, no torture, no gore… and that’s all I asked for! As a result, I have enormous respect for this film. Admittedly, there is violence, murders and fights – that’s inevitable with a subject like this – and the film is partly based on revenge, although that isn’t the main theme. The hero’s primary aim is to find medicine to save his beloved, rather than simply tracking down those who killed one of his closest family members.

It’s hard to follow a film without dialogue. Tom Hanks was brilliant in Cast Away (2000), but not everyone can pull that off. I’ve read some haters saying the actors are rubbish, but don’t listen to them – don’t even read what they say! Cover your eyes and ears when you hear people just shouting to make themselves feel important, whilst thinking they’re interesting and very clever.
No, for me, it’s a gripping story from start to finish, very well filmed and with convincing actors. Even with limited resources, it can hold its own against boring, big-budget films. As I’ve said, there are moments that are a bit over the top, but they’re also accompanied by suspense that’s almost unbearable. No jump scare will ever be able to rival scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat for several seconds, or even minutes.

Apparently, the director’s first three films aren’t available to the general public, which is a real shame, as it’s reported that they were very well received by the juries to whom they were presented. This Year 10 is therefore officially his first.

In any case, judging by this feature film, the British director is destined for great things. With a plot that can be summed up in five lines, a meagre budget and sets of despairing simplicity, Goodger weaves a tale of the most intense suspense. And all without any zombies! The camerawork is consistently extremely understated yet formidably effective, all working towards the same goal: to convey the harshness and cruelty of the setting. At times, Goodger ventures into extremely sophisticated shots. But even then, nothing is gratuitous: it’s all about maximising the suspense and delivering an unexpected plot twist.

The film’s other remarkable achievement is precisely the fact that not a single word of dialogue is spoken throughout its entire running time. And the success of this gamble is down to the excellence of the actors, who are able to convey maximum expressiveness. Notably the lead actor, who is none other than the other Goodger brother: Toby. The film seems, in fact, to have been a family affair, as another family member appears in the credits. Faced with such excellence, no film lover in their right mind would turn their nose up at a sequel.

To sum up:

Here we find ourselves plunged into a ruthless world where the slightest mistake or the faintest sound comes at a heavy price. It’s easy to empathise with Jake as he fearfully makes his way towards his goal. Every time he has to take a risk, the tension reaches its peak. These moments are far more intense than the few confrontations. Of course, you shouldn’t be too picky about the plot or certain decisions, but the essentials are there. Set in an atmosphere as stifling as it is oppressive, Year 10 is a minimalist and effective post-apocalyptic survival film that keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the end. And I really enjoyed the ending.