Day Zero – TADFF

An elite soldier tries to save his family during the start of the zombie apocalypse in Day Zero. Emon (Brandon Vera) is a former special forces soldier who has spent the last eight years in prison and is desperate to reunite with his wife Sheryl (Mary Jean Lastimosa) and deaf daughter Jane (Freya Fury Montierro). However, Emon's parole is revoked when he gets into a fight protecting his friend Timoy (Pepe Herrera). That is the least of his worries, as a viral outbreak results in hoards of bloodthirsty zombies. Escaping from prison in the chaos, Emon, joined by Timoy, rushes to Sheryl's apartment to save her and his daughter.

Day Zero is a Filipino zombie action film directed by Joey De Guzman and starring MMA fighter Brandon Vera as protagonist Emon. The action takes place predominantly in a zombie-infested apartment block, where Emon and Timoy are joined in their fight for survival by David (Yohance Levi Buie) and his father Oscar (Joey Marquez), as well as Paolo (Ricci Rivero) and his girlfriend Hazel (Jema Galanza). The group has to survive the zombies and each other if they ever expect to survive this day.

The biggest selling point of Day Zero is that Brandon Vera uses his MMA fighting skills to kill zombies in very gory and satisfying ways. However, much of this action is relegated to the film's climax, with Day Zero being a much slower and more nuanced film for much of the running time. The biggest thing Day Zero has going against it is how darkly lit the film is, with the film utilizing very few practical light sources. While the action is enough to give the film a mild recommendation, Day Zero is ultimately not the “next Train to Busan” it is hyped up to be.

Trailer for Day Zero – TADFF